The Zodiac War
by Tengoko
Summary: Soldiers of justice, no more. Powerful, dangerous the Zodiac Senshi have declared war on Sailor Moon. Everything is at stake. Old allies and foes are called on to aid the battle. Will it be enough. senshishitennou, senshistarlights. R&R.
1. Aoi Sora

**Tengoko: All right, so this is my first strictly Sailor Moon fan fiction that I started a while ago. It originally was a work meant to fill in moments of writer's block while I worked on another story, but recently, I have realized how much I liked it. Unfortunately, whilst doing a reread, I came to discover TOO many grammar mistakes or plot holes, so before I update a new chapter, I'm going to edit the ones that exist. Mostly consistency errors and such. Nothing plot altering, but small things that have gotten on my nerves. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to review. I will always love hearing from you. **

**EDIT UPDATE: JUNE 27, 2009- So, I've decided to go back and edit the descriptions of the Zodiac Senshi to comply with the revised artwork I have for them. If you are interested in seeing my artwork, you can find a link to my Deviant Art profile on my main page. Also, I am going back and adding/fixing some more mistakes I've found or paragraphs that I think can be written better. Nothing is happening that will dramatically change the plot, just cleaning up the story. Oh-- it should also be noted that I am trying to be truer to the manga version of BSSM. However, when I do incorporate facts from the anime, it will be from the Original Japanese version and not the sub-par, American dub.**

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****Staple Disclaimer: BSSM (Sailor Moon) is property of Naoko Takeuchi. I do not own any rights to the story or the characters that she has created.  
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****Rated M for language and romance  
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****Chapter 1: Aoi Sora  
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It was almost finished. A journey that had lasted nearly three years was coming to its finishing hours. Their mission had been long and arduous, and there were times when it seemed like they were going to be searching forever. But it was the final act; everything that they had gone through, the fatigue, the frustration, the confusion, was about to be repaid in the greatest of ways. Once they finished this, they could start rebuilding what had once been lost so many centuries ago. This was the beginning of a reformation of friendships once shred by hostility, resentment, betrayal and death. After this, all sins would be forgiven. They could atone for their days of sedition.

It had begun with only one man. The first to wake. He could remember the very day down to the slightest detail. His eyes had fluttered open, taking in a bright light. Immediately, they'd snapped shut, trying to shield them from the unwelcome illumination. That's when he'd heard her chuckle; a deep, rich, yet feminine tone echoing in his head. Ignoring the annoying light, he opened his eyes again to look upon the face of the most ambiguous of allies; Sailor Pluto.

Jadeite's memory was a blur. He couldn't remember where he was, why he was there, or how he got there. Sitting up, he noticed that he was lying on a stone table, and despite the bright light that offended his eyes currently, he couldn't help but see that they were surrounded by a vast darkness; space. He took a few seconds to take in his surroundings before looking back at the tall senshi of the afterlife.

"What's going on?" he asked right off. "Where am I? How'd I get here?"

Pluto smiled slightly before answering his question. She told him all about this Silver Millennium. Unsurprisingly, being on the moon during this era was the last thing Jadeite remembered. He remembered being by his prince's side, listening to Kunzite mutter things about how the moon was a threat to the earth's safety. He recalled thinking how strange it was for Kunzite to be so gruff with the Prince. He had been thinking of suggesting the the others that something suspicious was going on, but it seemed he never had the chance. His memories didn't stop with the Shitennou or with Endymion though. He fondly remembered a raven-haired beauty who had captured his attention shortly before his memories came to a crashing halt. Her violet eyes were the last thing he imagined before snapping back to the present.

But, what Pluto went on to say seemed a great shock to him. Hearing that he'd been brainwashed by Beryl and Metalia didn't seem real to him. He would never have betrayed Endymion for the world. And he knew that the others wouldn't have done that either. Yet, it explained why he didn't remember anything following that conversation. It also served as a possible explanation as to why Kunzite had been acting so strange; they had already begun to brainwash him. When he was told that he killed Sailor Mars, his eyes widened in horror and disbelief. Even now, he couldn't imagine doing something like that, such was his love for her. But, he didn't interrupt Pluto. She continued on about the fall of Prince Endymion, the death of Serenity, and then… the Dark Moon Kingdom. He'd fought once again for Beryl, and was killed in the line of duty for her. In that life, it had been Mars who had done the killing. He was glad to hear that. He wouldn't have been able to bear it if he'd learned he'd killed her again. He couldn't imagine that he'd done it in the first place. It just all seemed so unbelievable.

"You'd been brainwashed," Pluto had told him, sensing his skepticism for what it was.

"I understand that," Jadeite nodded slowly and, with a sigh, turned to face her, surprised by how weary his voice sounded. "If I was killed, how is it that I am here, like this?" He stretched his arms out as though he'd demonstrate his point more clearly. "I have no memory of what has happened before now. Why am I here?"

"It was always possible to revive you, Jadeite," she'd said matter-of-factly, a tone that annoyed him. It couldn't have been as simple as she'd just made it sound. "As it is with your comrades. The key was with your prince. You may not recall, but he has been reincarnated in the current time, and he has been looking after your stones, the stones that held the life energy of the four of you. Once it became clear that it was time to awaken you and your compatriots, he gladly handed the stones over to us. It was simply a matter of reuniting your souls with your bodies." She would leave out the measures she had to go through to get to their bodies... that was a graphic experience she would choose never to relive again.

Jadeite no longer cared about that. There was something else she'd said. Something that had him swing his long legs off the altar he was laying on and grab Pluto roughly at her shoulders. "My compatriots? Are they alive?" he demanded, his tone now desperate. If Endymion had given over the other stones, that had to mean they were. Jadeite was starting to see a silver lining in this dark thunderhead. If he didn't have to face this new world alone, if he was with the other Shitennou, everything would somehow be all right.

She nodded. "Yes, but they still slumber." She should have just punched him in the stomach for how futile she made that sound. He actually felt his shoulders sink coupled with the distinct feeling of defeat.

"What good does that do me?" he asked bitterly.

"Hope is not lost, Jadeite," she said serenely. "It is up to you to reawaken them. You must first find Nephrite; he sleeps just as you had. I would offer you my assistance, but I have been instructed to make you find him on your own. Afterward, I will appear to you and explain further. I know this must all be confusing right now, but it will all be justified when the time comes."

Jadeite considered this for a moment. He sat back down on the stone altar and unsheated his sword. It felt so good to be holding it again. He examined it closely. After so many years, it still remained in perfect condition. He just needed to sharpen it and it'd be ready for battle once again. With great care, he replaced it and looked back at the crimson-eyed warrior. Endymion had trusted Pluto long ago. That was good enough for Jadeite who immediately began the journey to find his friend, Nephrite, the North American commander.

It took him nearly six months before he found his friend on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, sleeping on a stone altar much like he had. Nephrite's awakening hadn't been an easy one. The shitennou came up swinging, landing a solid punch in Jadeite's stomach. Jadeite had been tempted to punch him back, but that would have worsened the situation. The sweet taste of revenge would have only lasted half a second before the brown haired king retaliated. Jadeite just grabbed his stomach and gave him a hurt look. But even after realizing what had just happened, Nephrite was far from repentant. Unlike Jadeite, Nephrite remembered. Remembered what transpired at the Silver Millennium, remembered his allegiance, however forced, to Queen Metalia and Beryl.

"What is the meaning of all this?" he's asked Jadeite, who merely shrugged, still a little miffed by the hit he had taken, and told him he was waiting for Pluto. "Sailor Pluto?" Nephrite snapped a little bit more aggressively than he had meant to.

"I'm not talking to you until you calm down," Jadeite said staunchly, turning away from him.

Nephrite reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and turned him back. "Okay... I suppose I shouldn't have hit you. But now isn't the time to put on a dress and play the victim. I want answers, damn it. And right now, you are the only one who can give them to me." He stood up and twisted a little, sighing when he felt his back pop. "That felt great. Anyway... Sailor Pluto. What hand does she play in all this?"

"Hell if I know," Jadeite answered, grimacing a little a the sound of the pop. It may have felt pleasant, but it sounded painful.

They didn't have to wait too long. Pluto appeared to them, this time in a sort of holographic form rather than in flesh. She explained that the mission now was to find Zoisite. She explained a little about Nephrite's past, the Golden Kingdom, how he betrayed Endymion, and then the Dark Kingdom where he'd been killed by Sailor Jupiter. Even though he remembered most of it, he still seemed to get worked up over hearing it. Jadeite tried to distract him by putting his mind on the mission. Despite being tired from having to find Nephrite, Jadeite was happy for companionship now. Back in the days of the Golden Kingdom, Jadeite had considered Nephrite to be the closest of friends. They shared a lot of interests, though Nephrite did tend to be more expressive with his emotions. There were far too many bar fights that Jadeite had to extricate his friend from back in the day. His temper knew no bounds.

A whole year passed before they found Zoisite on Ceres, a large asteroid, once considered to be a planet back in the days of the Golden Kingdom. When they awakened him, they weren't surprised to see that Zoisite wasn't taking too well to remembering everything. As they expected, he seemed to have a better grasp of the past than the other two had. Zoisite was always a bit more perceptive than the others were, and he often knew things that most people could have never guessed or sensed.

After he calmed down, which took quite some time, he was able to ask, "Why is it that she's awakened us now? Why wait so long? If they'd always been able to bring us back, as you say Jadeite-san, then why did they wait until now? Maybe something has happened... or is about to."

"I don't care about the why's and the what's," Jadeite said, leaning back against the altar and closing his eyes.. "All I know is this is another chance. A chance to live the way we dictate. Free from the manipulations inflicted upon us by Beryl. Free to repent and make things right. And… I, for one, am appreciative for the opportunity to once again be by Rei-chan's side."

"Since when have you been poetic?" Nephrite teased, fixing his epaulets that seemed so bare without a cape to hold up. He barely even noticed that Jadeite was glaring at him.

"I do wonder how Ami-chan has been?" Zoisite pondered, looking up at the stars. "Words do not exist that could illustrate how I missed her. Even in sleep, I've felt as though a part of me was lacking completion. I just fear that she hasn't felt as I have. I fear that she has loved after me." He looked down at the ground, his eyes saddening. "At the same time, I hope that she's been happy."

"Zoisite-san, you have nothing to fear," Jadeite assured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yours was an everlasting love. Time cannot conquer true love, nor can death." Zoisite smiled weakly at him and nodded. "But, Rei-chan better have waited for me," he said loudly, his tone very different. "Her happiness be damned."

"I miss Mako-chan, too," Nephrite said, laughing at Jadeite's last words. "But, as of right now, we have a responsibility to carry out. Pluto has yet to arrive, and what are we supposed to do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zoisite said, looking down.

Nephrite looked at Jadeite who merely shrugged and then back at Zoisite. "No... If it were obvious, Zoi-san, I wouldn't have asked."

Zoisite sighed and shook his head. "I'll spell it out for you then." He ignored that Nephrite's hands had balled into fists and that Jadeite had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from hitting Zoisite for that remark. "Pluto has ordered our awakenings in the order that we'd been killed. Jadeite was first, then you, and now me. That means Kunzite is the last piece to this puzzle. We won't know Pluto's motives until we find the last shitennou."

Of course, Zoisite had been quite correct in his supposition. Pluto arrived only to tell them as much. After a few more words were exchanged between Pluto and Zoisite, the three shitennou went on their way, searching now for their Middle-Eastern commander, their former leader.

And now, eighteen months later, they found him. On the moon of all places, amidst the ruins of what was once a great empire. Being on the now lifeless rock evoked distant memories of a time long forgotten. An epoch once filled with grand palaces, grandiose rituals, magnificent balls, beautiful ladies, lordly gentlemen, and courageous warriors. Now, only debris remained to remind them of what once was. What they'd lost so many centuries ago.

As they came upon the antechamber of the palace ruins, they saw him, illuminated by a pale light. The greatest of them all, lying in a peaceful sleep on a marble table, his arms folded across his chest, his sword in his hands. Jadeite was the first to approach him, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him. No response. Of course not. It couldn't have been that easy.

"How did you wake me up?" Zoisite inquired, looking up at Jadeite, hoping that the information may help.

"To be completely honest, Nephrite-san just slapped you around for a bit." He could have laughed at Zoisite's affronted face, but he withheld it wisely considering that Zoisite did outrank him. The youngest of the shitennou put a gloved hand to his cheek and then his eyebrows furrowed. It seemed he was beginning to remember that. "Nothing else would work!" Jadeite defended. "We had to do something."

"So you decided to just beat me awake, is that it?" he asked angrily.

"More or less. But I'll be damned if I'm doing that to Kunzite," Nephrite said, looking down warily at their leader. "I like my limbs where they are now, thank you."

"I don't know what to do," Jadeite said, looking down at him.

"That is why I have come." The three Shitennou spun around, Jadeite with a start, to see Sailor Pluto approaching them, a small smile on her face.

"For crying out loud!" Jadeite exclaimed. "Don't just sneak up on people like that!"

She chuckled. "Forgive me, Jadeite-san," she said, bowing her head in apology.

He appeared contrite himself. "Forgive me for snapping at you, and please, drop the formalities." He looked at Zoisite who rolled his eyes and then to Pluto who approached the altar.

"You have indeed come a long way, Shitennou. I had every confidence that you would make it this far. But, there is much more to be done. And, it cannot be done without Kunzite-san." At that, she raised her garnet rod over his sleeping body, and the talisman on top began to glow a steady red. After a few seconds, the glow intensified, making the three men have to turn away and shield their eyes. And then it was gone.

Jadeite was the first to see the cold, crystal eyes staring upward, darting around as though trying to make sense of where he was. And then they'd fallen upon him, traces of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Jadeite smiled himself and then turned to Pluto. "Well, that's just cheating. If I had a glowing heart on a stick that did that, he'd have been awake long ago."

"Jadeite-san… shut up," Zoisite said.

Kunzite, hearing the voice of the other Shitennou, raised his head and then saw Nephrite and Zoisite smiling at him. He opened his mouth as though we were going to say something, but stopped when he saw Pluto. The Shitennou looked between the two of them, wondering what was going to happen. Kunzite didn't seem to notice. Pushing himself up, he looked around again, down at his sword, and then back at Pluto.

"My, my, my," Nephrite said with a grin. "You're being eerily calm about all of this."

Kunzite's reply was simply a smug smile.

"You remember?" Pluto asked.

"Perfectly," was all the answer he gave her, as he sheathed his sword and began to dust off his uniform.

"And you know why I'm here, don't you?" she questioned further.

"I have a clue," he said, sliding off the table and standing tall. He adjusted his epaulets, his cape, and then his sleeves. Then he turned to his men. "Thank you all for finding me. It is good to see you again."

"Ah, shucks," Jadeite laughed. "How kind of you."

"He never shuts up, does he?" Zoisite teased, ducking as Jadeite attempted to back hand him.

"Kunzite-san," Pluto interrupted. "Much must still be explained to them. They, unlike you, do no know why I've roused them." Kunzite nodded again, remaining silent so she could continue on. "You must have all guessed by now that there is a reason why I've brought you all together. Finally, your curiosity will be put to rest. The truth is, Shitennou, that the Sailor Senshi are soon to have a new enemy, one that I'm sure they won't be able to handle on their own."

The men all exchanged glances before giving their attention back to Pluto. "Tell us more," Zoisite said "You don't have to be so cryptic all the damn time. Just say it all at once."

Kunzite glared at him. "Don't be disrespectul," he scolded.

"They are Senshi, too," Pluto began, not bothered by Zoisite's rudeness. "The Zodiac Senshi. They are led by Sailor Leo. I fear for Usagi-chan and her friends. The Zodiacs are powerful, almost unmatched."

"And, why are they an enemy?" Nephrite asked. "What is their aim?"

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "Originally, the Zodiac Senshi were allies to the White Moon Kingdom, fighting in some of the most crucial wars of that era. But only the Queen and the King knew of their existence and of their contributions to peace. Well hidden within the constellations, they are among the strongest but most mysterious of the Senshi. They were a powerful friend, rivaled only by Sailor Galaxia. And now…they are a most dangerous foe. I don't know why they've suddenly switched loyalties. And I don't know why they are now targeting earth. All I know is, to beat them, the Sailor Senshi need your help."

"Zodiac Senshi," Zoisite said to himself. "So…we return to earth?"

"Naturally," Kunzite answered. "But, we must take into account the years of training that we missed out on. We will have to work hard to reach the point that we were at previously, and we will not face an enemy until we are ready."

Pluto frowned. "You may have no choice, Kunzite-sama."

He turned to her, his face fixed in a immutable look. "I have spoken on the matter, already. I understand the threat that the Zodiac Senshi pose, and my men will fight… when they are ready. Not a moment before."

A moment of silence passed as Pluto and Kunzite silently battled, their eyes locked, both glowing intensely as they mentally dueled. That's why she was able to notice flecks of green in the silver. She did recall that in the days of the Silver Millennium, his eyes had indeed been green, a rich forest color. They had only been gray when he was a General for Beryl. This indeed was a good sign, and that is why Pluto forfeit the battle of wills.

"Pluto," Zoisite began, tearing her away from those silver-green eyes. "What of Prince Endymion?"

"You must find him again and vow your allegiance."

Jadeite and Nephrite looked at each other before smiling. "That's it?"

She shook her head. "Don't think it's going to be that easy, young lords. See, when I send you back to earth, you won't remember much of what has transpired here. The only memories that you will retain are a few scant ones that I will allow you to keep from the Silver Millennium. You will not recall the identity of your prince, nor will you recall the identities of the Sailor Senshi. Your instinct will be to find them, but you will have to do it the hard way."

"I can see why that'd make things a little more complicated," Nephrite glared. "Well then…what's going to happen to us? Will we remember each other or will we have to figure that one out too?"

She didn't miss the bitter accusatory sound of his voice, but she chose to ignore that too. "You will remember each other. Those are the memories that I am allowing you to keep. Consider yourself lucky. I had to fight long and hard for even that. And, also, I have arranged through the proper channels for your new lives to commence at the University that Mamoru-san will be attending. The Senshi also go there now, so in many ways, I have made finding them much easier for you."

"How long has it been that they're already at a University?" Zoisite asked, a little worried now.

"The Senshi are twenty years old for the most part. Mamoru is twenty four."

"Truly?" Nephrite blasted incredulously.

"I don't believe this," Jadeite mumbled, apparently not bothered by that fact. "Why does it have to be this way? Why do we have to return with such little knowledge? Who made those stupid rules?"

"It seems we have no choice, Jadeite-san," Kunzite said, his eyes closing, trying to hide the fact that he was thinking the same thing. "But, if this is a chance to set things right, then I, for one, am not going to pass it up." Looking up at Pluto he managed a slight smile. "Just tell us when, Sailor Pluto."

"Come, we must be out in the open." She turned to walk to the doors, the Shitennou behind her. The walk was in total silence, broken only by the footsteps against the ground. As they walked further from the palace ruins, the wind began to strengthen, blowing silver dust everywhere.

"That's odd," Zoisite said, looking around. "I didn't think that there was wind up here. There's no significant atmosphere on the moon anymore."

Pluto didn't turn, but she said, "Forget everything you know when it comes to things like this. If you want to get technical, we shouldn't even be breathing right now. If it weren't for the unexplained phenomenon that happens where we are concerned, we would all be dead right now. Just take it as it comes, and learn that some things just don't make sense."

Zoisite didn't like that explanation too much. Sure, he wondered how it was that they hadn't died from asphyxiation yet, but wind on the moon? That was ridiculous. "Maybe it was a solar storm... blew particles this way or something." He wasn't going to let it go, but he could tell nobody else was interested, so he just theorized to himself.

"Pluto, is this not good enough," Nephrite asked, stopping in his tracks as though to say 'it had better be good enough'.

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "This should do perfectly." Turning to face them, she held her garnet rod up, the talisman on top glowing once again. "You must be sure. There is no turning back after this."

"We are ready to return," Kunzite said, speaking for them all.

"Very well," she smiled. Lifting her garnet rod above her head, she cried, "Cronus, guardian of time and space. Grant passage for these men. Allow them to cross the threshold safely and swiftly through the vessel of time. Deliver them carefully to earth."

In the next moment, there was a flash of blue, and a column of light materialized in front of them all. Pluto smiled before putting her rod back on the ground. "It seems as though Cronus means for you to go by way of the Aoi Sora. That's uncommon. I wonder…"

"Is it safe," Nephrite asked, seeing the look of bewilderment on her face.

"Yes. He wouldn't put you in danger. It's just…this path is usually reserved for the guar…oh, it doesn't matter. He'd have his reasons I suppose, and it wouldn't be right if I told you my thoughts now. It might be against the rules." They all stared, annoyed at how vague she was being. "It doesn't matter why he did it, at this point."

"She is right," Kunzite said, stepping forward. "I'm ready."

"Good luck, Shitennou," Pluto said. "I expect I'll be seeing you again…very soon"

Kunzite was the first to step into the light; Zoisite quickly followed. Nephrite and Jadeite hesitated, but then entered as well. Seconds later, the pillar was gone and Pluto was quite alone. She looked towards the earth with a saddened expression. She closed her eyes and gripped her rod tight.

She had considered Earth to be her home for a short time now. It was usually her job to guard the time gate, which she'd done dutifully for many years. However, a few years ago, she was forced to break the sacred rules of the realm in order to save the lives of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, friends that she held dear. That's why she'd been punished and temporarily stripped of the title as Keeper of Time. Now, she held it once more, but it was clear that there was another duty that she held higher than that; she was a member of the Outer Senshi, Warriors meant to protect the Earth from outside intruders. While the Zodiac Senshi weren't considered intruders by any means, it was very clear that they weren't going to be welcome on earth.

Amidst all those thoughts, she had no doubt that the awakening of the Shitennou would even the odds. They were stronger than even they realized, and they were going to be invaluable in the coming fight. As she was thinking this, she heard a small noise behind her, and then sensed the presence of others. She was no longer alone. Smiling, she said, "it's good to see you all again."

Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn all chuckled as the tall, solitary soldier turned to face them. Sailor Uranus walked up to her and also looked at the earth. "Have they already left?" She didn't have to be clearer about it. Even though Pluto hadn't told the others about this, she had no doubt that Uranus and the perceptive Neptune would soon find out. She also had a feeling that Saturn had known long before this moment as discerning as she was.

Pluto nodded. "May God be with them," she whispered, though she was loud enough to be heard by all. "They have no idea what they're in for."

"They can handle it," Sailor Neptune said, smiling at her partner. "Just think, Mamoru-san is getting his guardians back. The Senshi are regaining valuable allies. And this time, we are sure of their loyalties. As long as they work together, they have nothing to fear."

"Always the optimist," Saturn said, looking down at her boots. Saturn had changed dramatically. Now as tall as Neptune, as beautiful as Pluto, she was by far the most powerful of the Outer Senshi and the most insightful.

Uranus chuckled at Neptune who pouted upon hearing Saturn. After the humor of that had worn off, she said, "Pluto, you must tell me; Have you contacted Seiya? We are going to need their help if we plan on defeating them." It seemed foreign coming from Uranus. To ask Seiya for help was akin to jabbing a needle in her eye and then pour salt on it.

"Yes, I have. They said that they'd have to consider the offer as it's not their job to protect the earth, or the Moon Princess for that matter."

"What?" Uranus asked, surprised. "Seiya said that? After everything that happened, they can still say that? I thought Usagi meant more to him than that."

"It sounds to me as though he's still sore from unrequited love," Neptune said wisely. "It's really a shame."

"There is another reason," Saturn said, as though that alone would solve the matter. "It has little, if anything to do with the Moon Princess. There is much going on in the lives of the Starlights. They have a lot of choices that they have to make. I won't be expecting to hear from them for a while."

"What do you know?" Pluto asked, a little upset that she wasn't in on it.

"It's not for me to explain. All I know is, when we next meet them, they may very well no longer be the Starlights."

"You're not serious," Neptune exclaimed, her eyes widening. "They're giving up being Senshi?"

"I never said that," Saturn said knowingly.

"I hate how damned secretive she alway is," Uranus muttered, glaring at the youngest of the Senshi. "It's your fault, you know?" she said, elbowing Neptune on her arms.

"How do you draw that conclusion?" Neptune asked.

"You're the same way."

"We all are," Saturn said truthfully. "In any event, our return is drawing nearer. It won't be long before our help will be required. Another war is imminent."

"It seems like war will never end," Neptune said.

"It is our destiny to fight," Pluto replied.

"So I'm told," she smiled, looking at Uranus. "Well, we have little time left. We must prepare. I'll try and talk to Seiya and the others. Convince them to help us once again."

Uranus nodded. "I'll monitor the actions of the Zodiac Senshi. If they make a move, I'll be the first to know about it."

"I must return to the time gate." Pluto looked at Saturn and bowed her head. "I believe you wish to accompany me?"

"I have no choice but to go to the thirtieth century. There is somebody I need to bring back. Small Lady…though…she isn't so small anymore. Four years? It'd mean her power is much greater. She'd be a great asset to this fight."

They all nodded their good-byes to each other and then vanished.

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The three men stood under the archway of the decaying palace. They had been following Pluto ever since she'd disembarked from the Time Gate. It seemed odd to them that she would come to the moon, but after witnessing the exchange between her and the four men that would soon become their comrades, they understood. So they were preparing for battle. It was no wonder their former princess had requested them to undergo this transformation. They had been reluctant to say the least. For years, they argued with her to drop the subject altogether. But she had been adamant. And once she had and idea in her head, there was no stopping her. They had a choice... but then it felt like they didn't. They agreed, but they still weren't sure they'd made the right decision.

"What shall we do?" asked the shortest of the men. "Little does Saturn know, we've already made our choice." He said this angrily, as though the choice they'd arrived at hadn't been his choice at all.

"I just wonder how she knew about it. The conversion that is."

"Saturn has always been well informed," said the tallest. "I'm not surprised that she knew. Her and those visions she has. Of course she'd be the first to know about our change."

"From Senshi to Guardian of the Earth Prince. I still cannot believe we did it. I pledged my loyalty and service to the one man who has the only thing I've ever truly wanted. All at the request of our princess." Seiya looked down at his hands that seemed bigger than usual. "We gave up our Sailor Senshi form for her. No longer are we a disguise. This is us." He looked down at his body and pulled at the uniform he was wearing. A gray suit, much like Kunzite's, with a flowing, silver cape and red trim instead of light blue.

"It is better this way, Seiya," Taiki assured him, looking down at his own uniform that was trimmed with yellow. He had no cape. "This is what we were meant to be. Guardians of earth, the Terran Realm. Comrades to the Shitennou." He wasn't sure he believed that. The entire thing seemed ridiculous to him. Even now, when he looked back on it, he couldn't believe he'd agreed to do it. Their former princess was a persuasive one. "It has to be for the greater good. She never would have asked us to do it if she thought there was any other way."

Yaten huffed. "I still don't think we should have agreed. We aren't meant to be this way… We were Sailor Senshi. More powerful than the ones in this solar system, with a few exceptions, perhaps," he added begrudgingly. "And now…we are men!" he yelled in disgust. "We forfeit our power."

"That's not true," Taiki smiled. "Just think of how much stronger we are now. In this form, we are near invincible." That may have been going too far, but extremes were called for when dealing with Yaten.

"I don't think I can face her again," Seiya said out of nowhere, causing Taiki and Yaten to stare at him questioningly. "It hurts my heart just thinking of her. How she's with…him. The prince whom we've sworn to protect with our lives."

"There are other women, you know," Yaten said rather harshly. "Usagi-chan isn't the only woman in the galaxy?"

"Yaten-san!" Taiki scolded.

"I know you're right," Seiya sighed. "It's just…nobody else has her light. The light that I was drawn to." He stood up straighter and looked upon the earth somberly. "It doesn't matter, though. We've got our mission. We must go and reunite with the Senshi. We must prepare for a new war and make peace with the shitennou."

"It won't be easy," Taiki said.

"No. It never is."


	2. Small World

**Tengoko: Really needed to edit this chapter. No more plot holes! Everybody cheer with me. YAY! Well, the more I expound on and fix each chapter, the more I grow attached to this story. I think the biggest problem with this chapter was some inconsistencies with names and formal and informal etc. But, it's better now. I promise. Anyway, please review and enjoy. UPDATE: JUNE 27, 2009 - Found some more inconsistencies with the honorifics. I think I caught them all now. Also, just added here and there.**

Rated M for language and romance

Chapter 2: Small World  
------------

"Damn!" Minako cried out, pounding her fist on the desk. Her face was red with anger, her body shaking. And yet, he appeared to be so calm. Actually, he seemed very amused by the entire scene. He leaned back in his chair, his muscled arms crossed over his massive chest, and a smug smile on his handsome face. That only seemed to amplify the anger she was feeling. How dare he look so entertained by this!

"It's not my fault, Aino-san," he said, looking down at her papers. "I believe the professor gave all students ample time to finish the project and organize their results. In my opinion, your work is sloppy and less than mediocre. It was a simple assignment, and you should have done better." He said that as though it were the end of the discussion. No more room for argument. This had been his tone for the entire month she'd been dealing with him. And she was sick of it. Just because he was some fancy schmancy teacher's assistant didn't mean that he had the right to lord over people lives the way he seemed to do.

"Well that's easy for you to say!" she yelled, crumpling the papers up and tossing them at that large chest of his. "You don't realize how hard I worked on this. I prepared this for weeks. And yet you can so easily fail me?"

"I find it difficult to believe that you put that much effort into it," he said, his smile not faltering, not even when the papers bounced off of him and onto the desk. He did look down at them though not quite able to believe that she'd just thrown them at him. "Your thesis makes little sense, if any at all, your research is sketchy and vague, and your conclusion was irrelevant to the topic. Over all, you should be grateful I gave you _any_ credit."

"Listen to you, all high and mighty. You've been the teacher's assistant for a month, and already you are sitting high on your stool!"

He looked confused for a moment, and then he chuckled. "Do you mean, pedestal, Aino-san?"

"Listen, Yamamoto-sensei," she shouted, not wanting to admit that she'd gotten that saying wrong, "I cannot fail this class. This is already my second time to take it. Please, reconsider."

"I will do no such thing," he said quickly. "It would not be fair to the other students to change only your grade. Your paper was graded fairly, and that is all there is to it. Now, unless you have something further to discuss with me then I…"

"Well, actually, I do have something further to discuss with you."

He leaned forward, slightly intrigued, and motioned for her to have a seat. She obeyed, setting her bag on the floor and then looking up at him. Damn, the man was too handsome for words. Too bad he was an arrogant know-it-all. His name was Yamamoto Kenji, and apparently, he'd just transferred into their college and was working on his second degree, focusing in physics. Of course, right away, all the girls in the class were abuzz, falling head over heels for him. Who wouldn't? He was extraordinarily tall, broad at the shoulders, narrow at the waist. He had a strong jaw, masculine features, long, platinum blonde hair that fell just below his shoulders and the most haunting eyes Minako had ever seen. All the girls argued that they were purely gray, but Minako could swear that there were flecks of green in them. There was no doubt that he was intelligent and knew his stuff. For the past week, the teacher had Kenji doing all the lectures and going over the assignments. Again, he gave the girls reason to swoon when he spoke for the first time; his voice sensually deep. Unfortunately for Minako, his strictness left little time for her to notice any attraction.

Truth be told, this wasn't their first encounter. His first day there, she'd fallen asleep in class. Usually, nobody would care, but at the end of the hour, he assigned a pop quiz. The way he glared at her let her know that it was because of her. Of course, she didn't know the answers to the questions he'd asked and got a zero. Afterward, he'd held her back and discussed with her the classroom etiquette, saying that if she was going to sleep, she should do it on her own time and not in the classroom.

"How may I help you?" he asked, grabbing a pen from the surface of the desk and entwining it between his fingers.

She had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She hated that he was just brushing the previous conversation aside like it didn't matter, but there was nothing she could do about that. "I was wondering if maybe you could set up a study session. Only between students, though. That way, we could maybe help and learn from each other without any pressure."

"It sounds like a good idea," he mused. "Though, I'm not sure it would generate enough interest. It seems you are the only one struggling."

"That's a horrible thing to tell me," she scolded trying her best to look angry to hide the embarrassment. "If I knew you were going to be rude about it, I wouldn't have asked." She jumped up from her seat and went towards the door.

"Aino-san…rude would be storming into my office, guns blazing and waving your fist _and_ your pathetic papers in my face. Rude would be _you_ yelling at the top of your lungs about how incompetent you think I am and what a snore my lectures are. And of course, we mustn't forget you pounding on my desk like a mad woman, demanding me to change your grade. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to have sympathy."

"I hate you," she muttered, yanking the door open. "Go to hell!"

"Even if I did," he started coldly, "it wouldn't help your grade." He could have laughed at her scandalized face. In fact, he nearly did until the door opened. Minako turned to see Mamoru standing in front of her, a smile on his face. "Ah, Mamoru-san, I'm sorry that I didn't call to tell you that I would be late. I had a meeting with…"

"Minako-chan?" Mamoru said with a smile. It had been a while since they'd seen each other.

"What are you doing here, Mamoru-chan?" she asked, surprised to see him. "Is Usagi-chan here to talk about her grade, too?"

"No," he answered absently. "Should she be? I was under the impression she was doing okay in this class."

"She's making a solid C plus," Kenji assured him, rising from his chair. "I'm sure if she just worked a little harder, she could get a B by the end of the term. But that's her deal. Not mine."

Minako glared at him, but Mamoru just smiled and nodded. He turned back to Minako. "I'm here by myself. Usa-ko is visiting her mother. Actually, Kenji-san and I were going to join some friends and go to dinner tonight."

"How do you know him?" she demanded. She didn't want Mamoru to be _his_ friend. That would mean she might have to suffer seeing him even after this term was over.

"Met one of his friends in a class, and it went from there," he said, as though it had been inevitable that they would one day meet. "Well, at any rate, Minako-chan, how are you?"

"Why don't you ask the scum bag?" she yelled, pushing passed him and storming down the hall.

"Is she always like that?" Kenji asked, looking a little insulted by that comment. "Or is it a special privilege reserved for me?"

Mamoru laughed as Kenji gathered his papers and started putting them into his briefcase. Mamoru waited quietly at first, but finally decided it was time to come to Minako's defense. "She's not usually that temperamental, I suppose. According to my wife, she's just been having a difficult time lately. On normal occasions, though, she really is a pleasure to be around. She happens to be one of my wife's best friends."

"So…it _is_ reserved for me," Kenji laughed, ushering Mamoru out the door and then locking it behind them.

"Well, it is easy to tick her off. But, she's not one to hold a grudge for long, so just give it time and it'll blow over."

"You're late," came a new voice. The two tall men looked down the hall. A tall man was leaning against the wall, a smug smile on his face. Next to him was a shorter man, standing straight with his arms folded across his chest. They were both handsome; one had long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes. The other was blonde, his hair was tied back into a ponytail, and his eyes were green. "I know we were supposed to meet you at the Student Union Building, but we figured if we walked this way, we'd meet you along the way. Didn't think we'd actually make it to the Physics building before finally seeing you, but whatever."

Kenji smiled at him. "Sorry. I had a meeting with a student that went longer than I thought it would." He looked around as though looking for somebody, and then asked, "Is Jed-san not joining us today?"

"He is," said the brunette, pushing himself off the wall. "He's already left to reserve us a table. How are you, Mamoru-san?" he asked, looking away from Kenji.

"I'm well, Norio-san," he smiled. "And you, Zen-san?" he asked the blonde man who was staring absently at the ground.

His words shook the young man out of his daydream and he smiled. "I'm very well, Mamoru-san." Out of all of them, he knew Mamoru the best so far, though admittedly, Kenji and Mamoru were becoming very close. They'd met in their literature class, both new students, and both eager to meet new people. Mamoru confronted him first, and a friendship blossomed. Sure, they hadn't known each other long, but that seemed irrelevant. For some reason, it felt as if they'd known each other for years. "I trust you've finished your paper?"

"Just last night," he answered as the four men walked down the hallway. "I'll probably wind up proof-reading it tonight. Which reminds me…I was going to ask you to do just that as a favor. After all, you do have the best grades in the class so far."

"I will if I have time," he replied thoughtfully. "The thing is, the professor came and asked me if I'd like to be a TA for one of his English classes. It really would give me the experience I need to pursue the career I want, so I'm going to jump at it."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Kenji muttered, his mind still on the previous encounter with Minako. "But, whatever suits you, my friend."

"Damn it," Norio shouted, his eyebrows furrowed. "We aren't in class anymore for crying out loud. Why the hell do you three insist on dwelling on school? Can't we have a normal conversation for once?

"Typical outburst for a business major," Zen teased, earning him a punch on the shoulder.

"Oh!" Mamoru suddenly said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. Smiling, he looked up at the guys. "Pardon me for a second. I have to take this." Turning away from them, he walked a ways down the hall and began talking quietly to the person on the other end.

Kenji watched him for a moment before Norio tapped him on the soldier. "He could be the one," he whispered. "I feel the positive energy coming from him. It's possible that Mamoru-san is Prince Endymion."

"I've been thinking that myself," Kenji said, nodding. "It's not everyday you find somebody with that much of a noble atmosphere."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Norio asked.

"We have to be sure," Zen answered, putting a hand to his chin. "If he's not Endymion-sama, it could jeopardize everything. No. He'll reveal his power to us on his own time. We just have to watch him closely."

------------

Minako waited in the elevator, leaning against the wall miserably. Angry tears still lingered on her blonde lashes, and her heart still pounded furiously. Why did Kenji have to be so hostile towards her? She was sure it had nothing to do with the project. Ever since he'd stepped foot into the classroom, she'd sensed that he disliked her. She just didn't know why. Maybe it was just that their personalities clashed. He was always so serious and stuck up. He hardly ever smiled, his humor was dry and sarcastic, and he seemed so rigid all the damn time. Whereas, Minako smiled all the time, she hated people who were sarcastic and mean, and she was usually pretty optimistc. The semester had been hard on her though, and even she had to admit that her life wasn't exactly where she wanted it to be right now.

The door slid open and she made her way to her room. The moment the door was opened, Makoto, her roommate, jumped up and screamed happily. "Minako-chan! You'll never guess what I just saw!"

"Seeing how I'll never guess, why don't you just tell me and save time?" she grumbled, throwing her bag onto her bed and kicking her shoes off.

Makoto paused for a moment before shaking that off. "I was just watching the news, and they said that the Starlights are getting back together. You know what that means, right? It means that Seiya-san, Yaten-san, and Taiki-san are back. We might get to see them again. Wouldn't that be great? And maybe, if you play your cards right…you and Yaten-san could…"

"They're really back?" Minako asked in surprise. "I wonder why." Minako knew that they last time they had come it preceded the battle with Galaxia, and that was no picnic. In fact, if Usagi hadn't been able to defeat Chaos within Galaxia, Minako would still be dead.

Makoto stared at her best friend for a moment, trying to figure out what she was thinking. It was strange how much Minako had changed through high school. Physically, she was the same, not counting those two inches she grew and her bust size increasing slightly. It was more her personality that underwent the transformation. Though she was still somewhat spacey, boy crazy, and a blast to be around, she was prone to frequent pensive moments and fits of depression every now and again. The girls blamed this on the responsibilities of being the leader, and it seemed plausible enough. Minako usually refused to acknowledge when she fell into these moods. Makoto figured it was because Minako loved thinking of herself as the bubbly one of the group.

"I'm sure if they came back for something sinister, they'd contact Usagi-chan right away. Anyway, they showed them on the news. Yaten-san's grown a few inches since the last time we saw him. And, he's just as handsome as he was before."

"If this is your way of telling me to cheer up…it's working a little bit," she smiled, and plopped down on the bed. She looked up at Makoto and smiled. How was it that she was always able to read her mind? Well, it was probably because they'd been best friends for years. Makoto never changed. She was the same old Makoto.

"Are Ami-chan and Rei-chan aware of this?" she asked, pushing her bag off of her bed and laying down.

"Hell, Rei-chan called me the second the news report was over. Ami-chan called me right after, though I have a feeling she tried to call at the same time as Rei-chan because I kept hearing the phone trying to beep over. I wonder if Usagi-chan knows. I'd call her, but she's visiting her mom."

"Do you feel like getting out of here?" Minako asked, sitting back up. "I just feel like doing something. I'm so bored out of my mind."

"Don't you have a physics exam coming up?" Makoto asked her. "Shouldn't you be studying for that? You don't want to have to take the class three times, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Minako said sourly, hating that Makoto took it upon herself to be mother to her. "Especially not with Yamamoto-san as the teacher's aid. But I have a feeling I'm not going to pass no matter how hard I study. He just hates me."

"I don't think he just hates you," Makoto said encouragingly. "I actually think he's fond of you. That's why he gives you a hard time." She said that with confidence, considering she sat next to Minako in class and had experienced Kenji's personality firsthand. "He expects more out of you. You just wait. You'll see that I'm right."

"Okay, sure," she said, unconvinced. "But, in the meantime, let's go out and do something."

"Fine, fine," Makoto gave in, slipping her shoes on. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Anywhere but here."

"Well, that does remind me. Ami-chan got reservations at the new restaurant that opened yesterday. She invited us and I was going to tell you yesterday, but with all this stress for the exams, I guess it slipped my mind. I hope we have time to get a hold of her and let her know we can make it."

"Cool. I'll get dressed."

------------

They two girls stood against the wall. One of them was talking on her cell phone while the other just stared down at her black shoes. They'd been waiting for about ten minutes now, and were getting pretty bored. Rei only half-heartedly listened to Ami's conversation. She was too busy going over in her mind what the news report had said: that the Starlights, after four years of being apart, were uniting and were going to start their comeback tour in Feburaury of the following year. Sure, she was excited about Minako and Makoto coming to join them for dinner, but she saw them everyday. When was the last time she saw the Starlights? When the door opened, the black-haired girl looked up and smiled upon seeing who had come in.

"Mamoru!" she gasped, rushing forward to greet him in a consuming hug. She and Mamoru had gotten even closer since he'd married her all time best friend. She had been Usagi's maid of honor at her wedding and had given a touching speech about how some people were destined to fall in love, and how some loves transcended time and were bigger than both people. She liked to think her speech touched Mamoru more than he ever said out loud which is why he seemed to insist that she come over all the time.

"Rei? Ami-chan?" Mamoru said happily. "What are you two doing here?" he asked. He turned around with a smile and explained, "Guys, I want you to meet two very good friends of mine. Rei and Ami-san." Ami hung up the phone when she realized that introductions were taking place. She smiled when she said her name and waved. "Ladies, these are some friends of mine. Suzuki Zen, Yamamoto Kenji, and Sato Norio."

"Nice to meet you," Norio said, taking Rei's hand and kissing it, and then doing the same to Ami. They both blushed which had Kenji and Zen rolling their eyes. They always were embarrassed by the constant flirt of the group. At least when the others flirted, they weren't so damn obvious about it. "You never told us you had such cute friends, Mamoru-san."

"My way of protecting them," he joked, making everybody laugh. Ami covered her mouth as she giggled, but stopped when she realized that she had actually met one of the men before.

"Suzuki-sensei?" she asked, stepping forward, and looking at him closer. He looked surprised for a moment. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just that I am in the English class that you'll be assisting. It's a pleasure to have somebody as brilliant as you helping out, if the professor's kind words about you can be believed. I'm looking forward to your lectures, Suzuki-sama."

"Oh that's right," Mamoru laughed, looking at the stunned Zen. "Ami-chan is taking that class. It must have slipped my mind when you mentioned it. Well, you are very lucky, Zen-san. Ami-chan is one of the most intelligent people you'll ever meet."

If they thought Zen was standing stunned because she surprised him by her forwardness, they were only half right. The other half of him was mesmerized by her deep, blue eyes. She was the sweetest woman he'd ever seen, and he wondered why he hadn't noticed her when he introduced himself to the class earlier that week. He reached his hand out and shook hers. "Well... if Mamoru-san is right, I think you and I should get along just fine, Mizuno-san."

She actually blushed. He'd never seen anything so cute. He wanted to reach up and brush some of her hair out of her eyes, but _that_ would be to bold. "Please," she said, waving her hand. "When we're not in the classroom, you don't have to call me Mizuno-san. It makes me feel old."

"What the bleeding hell took you all so long?" Everybody whirled around to see a, not angry, but irritated none-the-less, blonde approaching them. "I've had the table for fifteen minutes now. I'll bet the wait staff is beginning to think I made you guys up so I wouldn't feel bad about not having friends."

"You should still feel bad about not having friends, whether we're real or not," Zen teased, glad that Jed wouldn't actually throw anything at him in such a public place. As childish as they could be, Jed was all about appearances.

"We are just getting acquainted with some of Mamoru-san's friends," Norio told his best friend, but he seemed not to be listening at all.

"Hino-san," he smirked. "I trust that you have finished your History assignment."

She smiled wickedly and answered, "Yes, though I'm sure you won't like it anyway."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, his blue eyes glowing with some kind of fiendish delight.

"Because I criticize the feudalistic way you talk about women." She sounded angry when she said it, but Mamoru and Ami recognized it as one of her more playful tones. "And then I went on to say how archaic and repressive men like you are, and how you are stifling the woman's suffrage movement from making further progressions."

"I believe the equality you speak of, Hino-san, has already been achieved. Though I might agree that women aren't necessarily equal in the work force yet as far as pay and opportunity and we need to work on reforming that, I don't think that's what you're talking about when you mention further progressions. What women like you want is to hear that they are better, and that, to me, is archaic."

"I take it she's one of your students?" Norio asked dryly. Jed only nodded to confirm it. "What is it with everybody today? This is supposed to be our relaxation time. Why must we always talk about our studies?"

"Because... we're trying to become professors, so technically we're devoted the rest of our life to our studies," Zen answered. Kenji actually laughed at the look Norio gave him. Zen was not intimidated. "Norio... just let it go. We are relaxing... go with the flow, man."

"Are you waiting for you table?" Mamoru asked Ami, thoroughly ignoring Norio's impending tantrum.

"Yes. At first, it seemed like only Rei-chan and I would be eating today, but Makoto-chan just called and it seems they'll be joining us."

"Kino Makoto?" Norio asked, his eyes flashing towards her. It was possible that they were talking about another Makoto. The name wasn't exactly uncommon. But the run-in that he'd had yesterday with that particular Makoto was enough for him to attribute the name specifically to her. It took him four hours to get his papers in order after she'd slammed into him. He told her he wasn't angry about it, but that was before he sat for four hours trying to get his papers in order. From what he could tell, though, it hadn't been her fault that she'd trip and fallen into him. She'd been with Mamoru's wife who'd tripped before she had, pushing Makoto by mistake, and that was why she'd bumped into him.

"Yes," Ami said. "Tall girl, brown hair... looks like she could rip your head off if she wanted to."

Yep. That was the one. "Well, it is a small world after all," he chuckled. "She's in the class I assist."

Kenji didn't like the sound of that. Kino Makoto was in his class, too. And there was one thing that he learned he could count on. If Makoto missed class... so did Minako. If Makoto was there, so was Minako. They seemed inseparable. But, for right now, he hoped they were. He decided the only way to find out was to bring it up. "Great," he said to Mamoru. "The only person we're missing is Aino Minako."

Mamoru laughed and then looked at Ami before she said, "Minako-chan? Oh, she'll be coming, too. She's one of our friends."

"I have a brilliant idea, then," Zen said, grinning deviously. Kenji didn't like the sound of _that_ either. "Why don't you lovely ladies join our table? And before you protest," he said, cutting Ami off, "it wouldn't be any bother to us at all. In fact, I think you and I should get to know each other a little better Ami-san. And, we wouldn't want to deny Jed-san and Hino-san the pleasure of continuing their spirited debate."

"Zen-san…" Kenji growled in warning.

"I can see how this could become interesting," Norio smiled.

--------

**Tengoko: Yes, I am aware that I went Japanese suffix crazy. But, I figured if I'm modeling this story after the better Japanese version and not the crappy American dub, then I might as well go all out and use them. Also, I thought about including the scene at the dinner between them, but suffice it to say... Minako and Kenji did NOT get along. :)  
**


	3. Foundations of Trust

**Tengoko: I liked this chapter before I edited it. Now, I like it even more. Does that sound conceited? Anyway, this chapter was fun to write and I hope it's fun for you guys to read. Please review and enjoy. EDIT UPDATE JUNE 27, 2009: I edited the description of Sailor Sagittarius to comply with the artwork I had for her. If you are interested in seeing it, you can find a link to my deviant art profile on my profile page. I also have made a few updates to some of the paragraphs, but nothing detrimental to the plot.  
**

**Rated M for language and romance**

**Chapter 3: Foundations of Trust  
------------**

They weren't quite sure how the evening turned out like this. Dinner had ended hours ago. And what an interesting dinner it was. By the end of it, Minako had thrown a dinner roll across the table at Kenji and stormed out with a very concerned Makoto chasing after her. Kenji wasn't exactly innocent though. Maybe if he hadn't made the comment about not being able to stand air-headed, blonde women, she wouldn't have had such an outburst. In his defense, it was possible that maybe he wasn't talking about Minako. But even Zen didn't believe that. After that fiasco, Zen asked Ami if she wanted to go for a walk with him. And now the pair was walking along the campus, just talking and enjoying each other's company. They'd hit it off well and neither was ready for the night to end, which in itself was weird considering that Ami usually liked to go to bed well before midnight. Taking a heavy sigh, Ami sat down on a nearby bench.

"Zen-san," she began, looking up at the handsome, blonde man. God, could a man really be that handsome? Sure, he wasn't the stunning Adonis type that Minako and Makoto always gossiped about and hoped for, but in many ways, he was better. He was short, but even so, he was over half a head taller than her. And even though he was slender, she could tell that he was also fit and athletic. There was something charming about that smile of his. Perhaps it was the dimple. Ami didn't know. And his hair was marvelous. Usually, Ami didn't like men with long hair, but she couldn't help but love the way his unruly curls complemented his features. And those eyes… God, she'd never seen such electric eyes; so green and intense.

"Yes, Ami-chan?" His voice was soft and sophisticated. She smiled, amazed at how quickly they'd become comfortable enough to use that title of familiarity with her.

"How is it that I have never seen you around before? Are you new here?"

He nodded and took a seat next to her. "I've lived in Tokyo all of my life, but I wanted to go somewhere else to study. I spent the first four years of college in America, studying English and literature." She stared at him oddly, causing him to smile that devastatingly charming smile. "I know, it's a weird thing to focus on, but it really is a growing language. And, it's quite fascinating, in my opinion." He paused. "I digress."

She chuckled, and for some reason, he stared at her. If she could read his mind she would know why; because he thought that her diminutive laugh was the most adorable thing he'd ever heard. But, Ami couldn't read minds, so she didn't know. "But now you're back."

"Yes. I decided, about a year ago, that I wanted to keep studying and maybe one day teach at a college like this. I saw no reason to stay in America to do this. So, I came back home. And, I'm glad I did."

He said that last part knowingly, and Ami blushed when he winked at her. "Do you always flirt with your students, Suzuki-san?" she asked.

"Only the ones I find to be extremely intriguing, Mizuno-san." She giggled and blushed even more furiously, and he smiled at how incredibly endearing she looked. "In all seriousness, I don't think I've ever met anybody quite like you. I'd really like to get to know you better…that is…if you'd let me."

"I'm never one to shirk off making new friends," she said, smiling sweetly at him and patting his shoulder. She could tell he looked crestfallen. After going out on a limb like that, all she gave him was a part on the shoulder. Well, Ami wasn't known for her ability to interact with the men she found attractive. "For the record, Zen-san…I'm glad you decided to come back home to study, too. I look forward to being in your class."

He grinned and draped his arm on the back of the bench, looking up at the stars. "I have a question for you, Ami-chan," he began, a smirk coming to his face. "Minako-san…why does she hate my friend, Kenji-san, so much? I mean, I'm not complaining, as the two of them did provide much of the entertainment tonight…but she seems to really dislike him."

"Minako-chan gets frustrated easily," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. It seemed she did it without realizing it, but he certainly did, and she missed the smile he made. "Especially when it comes to school. Physics has always been a subject that she's struggled with, and with Yamamoto-sama being so unwilling to help her, she's starting to give into desperation."

Zen thought about that for a moment before looking down at her. "Odd. Usually Kenji-san is very nice about helping anybody who's having trouble. I wonder what's going on?"

"Who knows?" Amy started, a wicked grin forming. "Maybe they secretly like each other, and they are both trying to hide their overpowering lust with feelings of hatred." Even she couldn't keep a straight face while saying it, but she was pleased to see that Zen was laughing. "Well…it was an idea. I wouldn't put it passed Minako-chan, though. Kenji-san is a very attractive man, after all, and Minako-chan was never one to not notice something like that."

"You think Kenji-san's an attractive man?" Zen asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I'd be stupid not to," she admitted. "Though…I didn't really get a good look at him when you were at the table." She blushed almost immediately after saying that, not believing it had left the safety of her quiet thoughts.

Zen smiled and leaned closer to her, planting a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. Before he pulled away, however, Ami took hold of his cheeks and lifted her own head, pressing her lips against his. It was a quick kiss, and they were both surprised she had done it. Actually, it shouldn't have surprised her at all. Gone were the days on inhibition. She'd become more forward since becoming a member of the Sailor Senshi, and now that she was at the University, her new perspective could be best described as polite agressiveness: She was going to do what she had to in order to get what she wanted, but she would try not to make too much of a mess of things.

Zen recovered first. "So… Mizuno-san…do you always kiss your teachers, or have I intrigued you as well?"

She was about to answer, but a peculiar scream pierced the air, causing both of them to jump up. They seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking at each other, wondering what they other would do, and then at the same time, they started to run towards the source. They ran at about the same speed, Zen a little quicker, but not by much, and suddenly, he slid to a halt. Before Ami could think to do the same, she was blasted by some unseen force and fell to the pavement, pain instantly seizing her lower back.

She looked up quickly to see what had knocked her over, and she caught a quick glimpse of a woman before another surge of energy was blasted at her. She closed her eyes to brace for the blow, but suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms around her, and she heard a husky grunt. Her eyes shot open, and she gasped when she saw that Zen had shielded her body with his, taking the full impact.

"Run," he whispered, releasing her.

"I can't do that," she told him, putting a hand to his cheek. He grunted again as yet another blast was shot at them. He growled angrily as he turned to look at the woman "Zen-san, I will always appreciate that you tried to protect me. Now…let me protect you."

"What?" he asked, his voice strained.

She slid out of his grip and pulled out her transformation pen. Considering the circumstances, she couldn't be bothered by the fact that she was about to reveal her life's biggest secret. "Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Zen's eyes grew in shock as Ami, innocent little Ami, transformed before his eyes into a Sailor Senshi. He slowly got to his feet and stared at her in surprise. She smiled slightly before motioning for him to get out of the way. He didn't.

"Zen-san…this is what I do. I'll explain more to you later, but you have to move so you don't get hurt."

"Yes, let her fight me…" the woman said, flipping her long brown hair behind her shoulder and smiling cruelly. Ami's smile vanished as she finally looked at the person whom attacked them. She was taller than Ami, and indescribably beautiful. Her appearance from head to toe was quite stunning; Her long boots were black with green near the top just above her knees. A gold, intricate design separated the two colors. Her uniform was a one piece fuku that looked like it may have been modeled to look like a kimono with black, orange, green, and white as the colors. She wore a brown belt around her waist with a gold buckle that had the sign of Sagittarius on it. In her belt she had a mallet or hammer that was black, green, and gold. Her gloves were mostly orange, but they had green and gold trim. The glove extended down to a gold plate of the top of her hand and three black coverings for her fingers. Her thumb and her pink were exposed. In her left hand, she held a long bow that matched her boots. Mercury took all of this in, and still didn't know what to make of her. She supposed she could pass for a senshi given the circlet on the top of her head, but the obvious differences in uniform made her doubt that.

"Who are you?" Mercury demanded, assuming a fighting stance.

"I'm so glad you asked," the woman said, aiming her bow directly at Mercury. "I am the master of lightning, a child of the Sun. The great Archer, guarded by the Constellation Sagittarius, favored by the God, Zeus. The eighth of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Sagittarius."

"Zodiac Senshi?"

Sagittarius sighed, disappointed, and lowered her bow impatiently. "You haven't heard of us? That's surprising. We are the strongest clan of Senshi in this galaxy, and you have never heard of us? Well, I like that."

"Listen, I don't care who you are or what you are doing here. All I know is that you aren't welcome here. I won't forgive a person who attacks two people who are forming a strong friendship. In the name of Mercury, I won't forgive you."

Her declaration made Sagittarius laugh. "You think you can punish me all alone, Sailor Mercury?"

"She's not alone," Zen shouted, stepping between them.

"Zen-san…stay out of this," Mercury ordered. "You cannot fight her like that. She'll kill you."

"I don't intend to fight her like this, honey," he smiled. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a small crystal. "You aren't the only one with secrets, Mercury." Without another word, Zen threw the crystal to the ground, and it seemed to explode in a flash of bright light. The two women shielded their eyes and looked away.

Mercury was the first to turn back, and when she did, she gasped at what she saw. "Zoisite!" she exclaimed, backing up a little. She remembered him from the Dark Kingdom, one of the four who had opposed the Senshi in search of the silver crystal. What was he doing back now?

"I am not your foe," he said right away, seeing apprehension in her stance. "I'll explain more to you after the fight, Mercury. Now, we haven't the time to question loyalties."

"I like these odds," Sagittarius laughed. "Unfortunately, I do not have time to contend with you two. My mission was strictly to make our presence known but not actually spill any of the blood personally. So, I'll leave my youma. Desha!" she called out. In an instant, a pale, woman-like being materialized beside her. "Take care of these two for me."

"Desha!" she responded, her way of saying that she would. And then, Sagittarius was gone.

"Let me go first," Mercury shouted, stepping forward. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody."

The wave of water rushed towards the youma, but the creature was quick to dodge. She charged at Mercury, but Zen jumped at it, grabbing it around the waist and pinning it to the ground. It was hardly a struggle for the man who was surprisingly stronger than it. Mercury didn't think he had it in him to wrestle a youma. "Try it again, Mercury. Aim above us!"

"Right!" she nodded, not sure why she listened to him so quickly. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

As the attack passed over them, Zoisite rolled under the youma and then, planting his foot on its stomach, kicked it up straight into the stream. Desha screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground next to him. Sitting up, Zoisite reached for his sword, quickly unsheathed it, and lunged at Desha. He drove it through the creature until it screamed no more and then disappeared.

Zoisite shook his head and planted the sword into the ground, using it as a tool to help him stand up. Pointless though. Mercury had him back on the ground the second he had gotten to his feet. He let out a groan when his back slammed painfully against the grass, and when he tried to get back up, her foot came to his chest, pinning him "What the hell was that for?" he yelled, grabbing her ankle. He was prepared to flip her, but he decided against it. He didn't want to make an enemy out of her, though it seemed she already thought he was one.

"Tell me why you are back!" She demanded, her Sailor Senshi instinct taking precedence over her desire to help him up and quickly apologize.

"Back?" he asked, confused as ever. "Ami-chan…no, Mercury…I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean... 'back?'"

"Why did you just help me? You once worked for the Dark Kingdom. You tried to kill me and my friends!"

Zoisite laughed at that and then closed his eyes with a groan. She'd pressed her foot harder against him. "Look, Mercury, I don't know exactly what happened then, but I can assure you, that wasn't me. All I want to do is find the prince. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Prince?" she asked. She, however, let her guard down. Zoisite flipped her, even though he'd told himself he wouldn't, and quite suddnely, Mercury was on the ground and Zoisite rolled over to pin her, keeping her down by getting on top of her and holding her wrists to the ground. "Zoisite, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mercury, but I'm just looking out for myself right now. Don't worry. I wont' take advantage of you, honey."

"Stop calling me that!" she demanded. Not because it infuriated her. But because she knew it brought color to her cheeks.

"On second thought, you are pretty cute when you are mad," he grinned, pressing his lips against hers. She fought against him only for a few seconds. There wasn't much she could do anyway. He was so much stronger than she was. And it's not like the kiss was bad. In fact, she got so lost in how his lips made her feel, that she began to participate in it before even realizing that she wanted nothing more than to prolong this. She'd admonish herself for it later, but for now, there was nothing more important than kissing him back. She moaned when she felt his tongue run along her bottom lip before it entered her mouth. This definitely wasn't her first kiss, but it blew all the others out of the water. The very few guys she'd kissed before were new at this intimacy thing, too. None of them were as bold as Zoisite. And it seemed, from what she could tell, that he was well practiced in this art.

"See," he said, pulling away. "You don't hate me after all."

"Would you like a second opinion?" she sneered, though she knew he wasn't convinced that she was angry.

"Spoken like a true doctor," he laughed, kissing her again. When he broke away from her this time, his face looked a bit more serious. "Look, I don't know what I did back then, Ami-chan. All I know is that, for some reason, I've been given a second chance. I have to find the prince and protect him just as we did in the past. That is our duty, the reason we are alive."

"Zoisite," she said softly, looking up into his bright, green eyes.

"Believe me, Ami-chan. Know that I'm not here to hurt you…or your friends. I didn't even know that you were Sailor Mercury until now." After brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, Zoisite got to his feet and held his hand out to help her stand up. She took it and brushed off her back side before looking at him again.

"I don't know if I should trust you," she admitted. She really couldn't be blamed for that. After everything that had happened... well... she would be stupid to just walk into an alliance with him blindly.

"What would I have to do to prove that I am on your side, Ami?"

"Nothing," came a deeper, harsher voice. Zoisite spun around and gasped when he saw them. Mercury gasped as well, but for a different reason. The other three Shitennou were gathering in the clearing in front of them, their eyes staring hard at the two of them. Kunzite closed his eyes and shook his head. "We are not working with the Sailor Senshi, so there is no need to earn their trust, Zoisite-san."

"They might know where our prince is," Zoisite protested, standing in front of Mercury as if to protect her.

"Making alliances will just get too complicated," Nephrite said. "Besides, if she doesn't trust us, who's to say the others won't feel the same way? There's too much at stake to compromise it by focusing on another mission. We're here to find our prince. Not make new friends."

"I'm so confused," Mercury sighed, causing Zoisite to smile. She noticed and blushed when he winked at her. "I wish you'd stop doing that," she whispered, making him chuckle.

"I see it now," Jadeite said, all too familiar with that particular expression. "Always one to be distracted by a pretty face, aren't you, Zoi-san?"

"I think you are confusing me with somebody else," he shot back pointedly at Jadeite. "At least I appreciate women rather than seek them out for one purpose."

"Funny you should say that," Mercury began, rolling her eyes.

Zoisite paused and looked at her. "I don't understand what you mean."

She laughed nervously and waved her hand. "Oh, it's not important. It's ancient history now…right?" She continued to laugh, but that thought got the cogs in her head turning. If Zoisite didn't know what she was talking about, then he really didn't remember, and that meant that he was honest with her. This was a different person that the Dark Kingdom's Zoisite. Not the flamboyant pretender. "Why don't we call it a night, Zen-san? We'll…"

"What did she say?" Nephrite suddenly shouted, his face contorted with anger and shock.

Mercury quickly realized her mistake, and Zoisite's face turned pallid. "Shouldn't have said that, honey," he admonished, reaching for his sword. "Now they're really mad."

"How does she know?" Jadeite demanded, his fist clenched, though most of his anger was derived from the fact that Zoisite had subtly called him a man whore.

"I had no choice but to transform in front of her," he explained. "She would have been hurt if I hadn't."

Kunzite stepped forward. "Our mission isn't to protect the Senshi, Zoisite. It's to find our prince. Whether she was in trouble or not should have been no concern of yours. Now, she knows your identity. And…we must ensure that it remains a secret." Unsheathing his own sword, he started towards her. He had no intention of killing her, but they didn't know that. He just wanted to scare her into keeping quiet.

Mercury jumped back as Kunzite raised the sword above his head. But suddenly, Zoisite was between them, parrying the blow. "Have you completely lost your mind?" he yelled. "Mercury, get out of here! Now!"

She was torn. She could run and save her own life, but that would leave Zoisite to the wolves. It really wasn't his fault that he had transformed in front of her. After all, she'd done the same. "I swear," she screamed at Kunzite. "His secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul."

"Your word is all well and good, Mercury, but if you don't trust him, why the hell should I trust you?" At that, he pushed Zoisite back and grabbed her arm. He was stuck on what to do next. He didn't want to hurt the girl, but he had to impress upon her the seriousness of this issue. He lowered his sword and glared, but his expression softened when he saw the terrified look in her eyes. There was more though. He could sense her positive energy, could tell that she was virtuous. He didn't let her go, but his grip softened. The terror in her eyes seemed to vanish. "Well... I can see why he's drawn to you... I guess as long as you keep our secret... there shouldn't be a problem."

Ami was surprised. She looked up into his eyes with fear. Out of all them, Kunzite was the one that she had nightmares about. He was the most terrifying, the strongest. He could probably kill all of the senshi if he set his mind to it. He'd come close more than once. But looking up at him, she began to realize that he was not the stuff of her nightmares. Despite the hardness in her eyes, she saw something she had never seen in him before: compassion. Had she made him feel guilty for charging at her like that. When his grip softened, she realized she wasn't in any real danger. And to feel that around a man like him... she knew that they had really changed. "I... I don't know how to respond to that," she admitted. "But as for your secret... I would never betray him. He's my friend," she said in earnest.

Kunzite looked up at Zoisite. Zoisite was just looking at the hand that was still on Mercury's arm. Was he jealous? Probably... Kunzite rolled his eyes and was about to let her go. Then, in the next moment, a flash of golden light jetted between them, hitting his hand, and he pulled it back with a hiss, holding it against his body. He looked down at the burn mark that marred his skin now and then back up to see who had done it. Funnily enough, something about this seemed familiar.

"Sailor Venus!" Mercury shouted, a little horrified by what had just happened. Her first reaction was to grab Kunzite's hand to examine the damage, but she didn't think he'd appreciate that very much. The blonde Senshi jumped down from a tree branch that she'd been standing on and landed between Kunzite and Mercury.

"Mercury, are you all right?" she asked. "The others are on their way."


	4. Fighting Evil?

**Tengoko: Yay! Edited. No, I'm not usually that bubbly, but it's two in the morning and I'm running purely on caffeine. Please enjoy this chapter, and if you would, there's this marvelous button at the bottom of the screen that allows readers to tell the author what they think of the story thus far. I would really appreciate it if you guys would make the most of that button… it feels so neglected. UPDATE: June 27, 2009 -**

Rated M for language and romance

Chapter 4: Fighting Evil…?  
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It was quite a sight if you happened to be looking, which nobody was due to the recent monster attack. One short, angry blonde to three tall, formidable men wasn't something a person saw everyday. Gray-green eyes settled harshly on blue; both willful and unrelenting. The blonde woman's eyes flashed in anger, her jaw set, and her fists clenched ready for the fight. The silver-haired man looked as if he'd love nothing more than to just hit her, but something was stopping him. What that something was, though, was a complete mystery to her, as the man she believed him to be wouldn't hesitate to hurt her. The blonde man behind him moved forward, apparently not bothered by what was going on, and he reached his hand down. The look of anger he'd once wore was now gone, replaced by a light-hearted smile. Zoisite looked at his hand for a second and gladly took it, standing to his feet. He once again took a place between Mercury and Kunzite.

"Are these the type of friends you are making, Zoisite-san?" Kunzite asked. Actually, he didn't mind Mercury so much. But there was something about this one that told him that they wouldn't get along. "You know we don't have time for this. We have to find Endymion-sama."

"What?" Mercury asked, stepping in front of Venus. "He's the prince that you are looking for?" Why hadn't that clicked earlier. This was one of those rare moments that Ami felt dumb. Even Minako turned to give her a 'well duh' look. She smiled a toothy grin and then looked back at Zoisite who was chuckling softly.

"You've heard of him?" Jadeite asked, looking at her hopefully.

"Don't say anymore, Mercury!" Venus scolded, pulling her back. "You've already said too much. How could you possibly trust them after everything that happened back then?"

Mercury bowed her head and then looked up into Zoisite's green eyes. He was pleading with her, silently but just as effectively as he would if he had been on his knees in front of her. But, there was also something else. A feeling she couldn't explain, and she couldn't help but listen to her instincts, as they'd never failed her before.

"I trust what Zoisite-san has told me," she said, noticing that charming smile and that adorable dimple on his face. "I have no reason to think he would lie to me, and even if he would, I would be able to see through it. After all, I don't think this is the same Zoisite that we dealt with six years ago. This one seems different. Can't you sense it? The auras are dissimilar. They aren't evil."

Zoisite winked at her appreciatively and then turned towards Kunzite. However, his leader's eyes were still fixed on Venus. Suddenly, they widened and his jaw dropped a fraction. "If I'm not mistaken, and I don't think I am…"

"Kunzite-sama, don't," Zoisite begged, knowing where this was going. He turned to Mercury and stepped in front of her as if to shield her from Kunzite's scrutinizing eyes, but he knew it was too late. He'd already figured it out.

"Mizuno-san was the last person you were with tonight. If I know you, Zoi-san, and I do," he said, as though it weren't always a good thin, "you aren't the type to call an early evening. So, Ami-san... I guess I should be surprised. You didn't strike me as a possible candidate for a Sailor Senshi."

"Wait a second…" Mercury gasped, waving her hands in front of her.

Minako wasn't sure what was going on now, but Kunzite's eyes were back on her and he seemed to be staring at her with more venom. The reason behind that was a mystery... until, "I knew it. So... if you're Ami-san... that would mean this little upstart is none other than Aino Minako." He knew they wouldn't have gotten along. He really was surprised now. He had not expected Minako to be the type of woman with this amount of responsibility. Being a senshi must have required a great deal. Yet... maybe this is why her work suffered. Maybe it was because, by night, she was out righting wrong and all that nonsense. He doubted it. From what he could tell in the months that he'd been back, Crystal Tokyo had been relatively quiet as far as monster activity. He should know. The Shitennou had been watching out for things like that in hopes that Endymion would appear.

"What?" Venus exclaimed, standing straight. How the hell had he worked that one out? Nobody had ever guessed their identities so easily. Not even people that they were close to.

Ami stared at him. Half impressed, half horrified. She hadn't expected them to put it together so quickly. She'd really underestimated Kunzite's intelligence, which she realized now she shouldn't have done. But, she had the same hand up her glove, and she was going to play it now. "Impressive, Yamamoto-sama."

"How do you figure that?" he asked, a sly smile on his face. Truly, the look surprised her. She had expected him to be angry at discovering his secret, but he looked impressed.

"Well, it's about as obvious as my identity was to you, Kenji-san," she answered smugly, or at least, tried to. She may be more confident, but she wasn't quite good at pulling off smug yet. "Just taking into account everything I already know about you all. Zen-san is Zoisite, a fact that shouldn't have escaped my noticed considering how much he looks like him. I think the only reason I hadn't realized it is because there's obviously something different about you guys. Anyway, taking that in to consideration, there are four of you total, and Zen-san tends to hang out in a group of men that look a lot like you guys. Going from there, appearance was the last thing that gave away your secret, Yamamoto-san."

"That was unnecessarily long," Jadeite laughed, though he was slightly awed by her reasoning. He shouldn't have been, but he was quite certain that she could have explained how to make a grilled cheese sandwich and still sound like the smartest woman on the planet.

"Damn," Nephrite said with a grin. "Hiding a secret identity isn't as easy as it used to be." Surprisingly, all of the men laughed, even Kunzite who seemed to have let his hostility towards the two girls go. He even went as far as to put his sword away, and his posture, which had been tall and rigid, relaxed a bit. That only confirmed in Ami's mind that they were no longer an enemy.

"Well, what are we going to do then, Kunzite-sama?" Nephrite asked. "The Sailor Senshi obviously know who Endymion is."

"You do, too," Mercury began, about to elaborate, but Venus held a hand up to stop her.

"You've said _more_ than too much. They could still be tricking us." Venus knew they weren't. Ami was right. There was a glow around them. Of course, she really couldn't see it, she wasn't Rei, but she could feel it. They were good and their hearts, for the most part, were pure. Still, pride got in the way of her admitting this and she wanted to hold onto her anger, at least where Kenji was concerned.

"Come now, Venus. If I really wanted to trick you, I wouldn't try as hard as you'd think." Kunzite's eyes once again flashed angrily, but it was a different anger now. Not one meant for the battlefield, but anger reserved only for personal displeasure. "Somebody like you is easily fooled. Your mind isn't developed enough yet to see through a well-laid plot."

Mina's face boiled red with anger. "Listen, you bastard!" she shouted, marching up to him and pointing a finger at his chest. "I am the leader of the Inner Senshi. I have been fighting for years. It is only through my good graces that I haven't Crescent Beamed your ass all the way to the moon."

He was no longer smiling. "I will ask you once not to touch me, Aino-san."

"That's Sailor Venus to you, you arrogant ass!" She turned from him with a huff and folded her arms across her chest. Then, much to her chagrin, Kunzite and the others laughed at her. Who the hell was he to laugh at her like that? Did he know what she was capable of? Was she not the one responsible for the burn marks across his hand?

"Venus, we have more pressing matters to worry about than them," Mercury said, walking up to them and taking a spot next to Zoisite. "It seems we have a new enemy. I don't know much about them yet, but we have to tell the others."

"Tell us what?" Mercury turned her head to the side to see Mars and Jupiter racing towards them. They came to a halt in front of Venus and looked at the scene with confusion. "What's going on?" Jupiter asked, looking at Jadeite and then Nephrite. She was familiar with Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite, but had only heard about Jadeite. Of course, Rei had gone on and on about how he had tricked her and her grandfather, but in the end, it hadn't mattered. Rei killed him. But, damn, she'd forgotten. Nephrite was a handsome one.

Kunzite laughed again and turned to Mercury. "So good of Hino-san and Kino-san to be joining us as well."

"What the hell?" Mars asked, caught off guard by that. She'd only now just taken in everything. The Shitennou were standing in front of her… not attacking. Now she had seen everything. But, how the hell did he know who she was? She looked at Jupiter who's eyebrow had gone up. She was confused too. Good. Mars wasn't the only one who was missing something here.

"It's okay, Mars," Mercury said. "They can be trusted."

"So she says," Venus pouted, turning back towards Kunzite and sticking out her tongue. He only rolled his eyes. "They are looking for Prince Endymion, but I don't know why."

"Because…he is our master," Jadeite answered, suddenly looking at Kunzite who shot him a censuring glare. "Sorry, Kunzite-sama. I spoke of things I shouldn't have."

"The Jadeite I knew wouldn't apologize for anything," Mars said thoughtfully, and her words had him staring at her curiously.

"You knew me well?" he asked, trying to search for a memory of this girl.

"I knew…" she stopped. There was something different about him, and it was obvious he didn't remember her. That was strange considering all the times he'd tried to kill her and vice versa. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Well," Ami began, looking at Zoisite, "these aren't the same men we fought six years ago. They don't even remember Beryl or Metalia."

Rei nodded. Just as she'd suspected. That either meant that they had been brainwashed to the point of being mere puppets, which would excuse them for their behavior, at least in her book. After all, they'd forgiven Chibi-Usa for it and Mamoru. But, it could also mean that it hadn't been these men at all… that maybe Beryl had used copies of them, which would really excuse them. But, that one was very unlikely.

"Wait!" Kunzite shouted, cutting her off. "Beryl and Metalia were here? In Tokyo?"

"So you do remember them?" Venus accused, turning back to face him, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "See, Mercury, I told you they were lying."

"Don't be dense," Kunzite shot at her. "If I really wasn't being honest with you girls, you think I would have blown it that easily? You really are as dim as your grades would suggest." She seemed to be fuming now.

"It's just…" Nephrite said, looking up at the sky, "Beryl was around during the Golden Kingdom. Endymion-sama didn't trust her." He paused for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't remember what became of her then. I guess she died with everybody else. But... I didn't know she'd come back in this century."

"Mars, what do you think?" Venus asked, looking at her raven-haired friend. She didn't have to ask. She knew Mercury was about to be validated, but she could still hope.

"To be perfectly honest, Venus, I don't sense anything particularly malevolent about them."

"May I make a suggestion," Zoisite finally said, raising his hand. "There really is no point in standing about like this. I say we all de-transform and go somewhere more private where we can discuss this."

"I agree," Jadeite said, once again looking to Kunzite.

"Where would we go?" Mars asked, knowing that none of their dorms would do. At least, not for eight people.

"Hikawa Shrine isn't too far from here," Jupiter suggested. "Besides, we owe grandpa a visit. After that, we can just…"

"Or, we could go to my apartment," Kunzite said. "It's only a block from here and it's big enough for all of us. Zoisite…you stay with the girls. We'll meet you there." And just like that, the three men vanished.

"What an infuriating man!" Venus shouted as though he could still hear her. Then she looked at Zoisite…or rather, Zen. "Damn, you went back fast, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Shall I turn around while you ladies do the same." They all nodded in the affirmative and he turned and shut his eyes. "Is it safe?" he asked about thirty seconds later. His answer was a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Ami smiling innocently at him. He was lost in her eyes for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it. "All right. My car is this way, ladies. Follow me."

"Ami-chan," Rei began, "perhaps you should contact Usagi and Mamoru-san. Minako-chan… Artemis and Luna would probably like to sit in on this one as well."

The two girls nodded. "We'll do that when we get into the car," Minako said, still in a pout.

"Zen-san," Ami whispered as they headed towards the parking lot.

"Yes, Ami-chan?" he responded, putting an arm around her and pulling her closer.

"Thank you for standing up to Kunzite-sama for my sake. I know it must have been hard being disobedient." As way of thanks, she stopped to get onto her toes to kiss his cheek. She giggled when he blushed, but he kept going as though he didn't notice the rise in heat. "And…in case you are wondering, Zen-san…I would still love to get to know you better."

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She was never in a happy mood when she visited home. She always knew what to expect. Her mother would try to be amiable, as always, and her younger brother would be a pain. It was her father that she could not stand. Sure, they'd gotten along well before, but it seemed as if he still couldn't stand the fact that she was married. He'd never like Mamoru that much from the beginning. What was infuriating about it was that her father didn't like him on principle. He thought Mamoru was too old for her. That he didn't come from a good family, which wasn't really his fault because he was an orphan. He was afraid that Mamoru wouldn't be able to provide for her which was ridiculous considering all the years he'd been providing for himself. There was no reason for him to doubt her husband.

Still fuming after her last conversation, she pushed the door to her apartment open and stormed inside, kicking her shoes off and sliding into her slippers. However, her anger was soon forgotten when she saw her husband sleeping peacefully on the couch, his reading glasses folded across his chest and a book on his stomach.

He always tried to wait up for her. His excuse was that he could never sleep in their bed without her because he'd grown so used to her being beside him. Usagi understood perfectly. Whenever Mamoru was out late or went on trips, she could never fall asleep.

Walking to him slowly, she sat on the edge of the couch and took his glasses, setting them down on the coffee table in front of her. Sighing deeply she put a hand to his cheek, leaned closer to him and kissed his lips lightly. She was pleased to see his blue eyes open, and he smiled.

"I didn't hear you come in," he whispered, bringing his own hand up to cup her cheek.

"Shocking, really. I think the entire complex heard me coming in."

"That bad?" he chuckled, urging her to lay down on top of him. She quickly complied, resting her head on his chest and listening to the steady tempo of his heart. "Well, you're home now, baby, so you can relax."

"Why does he have to be so difficult about it?" she asked him, gripping his shirt.

"Because you are his baby. I know that when Rini starts dating, I won't be as pleased about it either."

Usagi laughed. "She's not even born yet."

Mamoru's smile widened and his arms tightened around her. "Perhaps that's something we can work on…tonight." He chuckled a bit before kissing her deeply. Usagi sighed and melted into the kiss, but then, much to her disappointment, she heard the unwelcome voice of a fellow Senshi.

"I have to get that," she said hesitantly, inching off of her husband and going over to her purse. "What is it, Ami-chan," she muttered, after taking out the communicator that guised as a watch.

"Usagi-chan, it looks as if we have a new enemy. What's more, Zoisite-san, Kunzite-san and the others have come back, but they seem to be our allies now. We are all meeting at Yamamoto-san's apartment to discuss all of this. We thought it'd be fitting if you and Mamoru-san came as well."

Usagi was about to answer, but Mamoru did it for her. "I'll go start the car."


	5. Senshi vs Senshi

**Tengoko: Okay, so I had a lot of mistakes in this chapter, but I can safely say I've fixed and enhanced everything. Don't worry; I won't make you collectively cheer with me, though you can if you want to. Um, as usual, I am going to ask you to review. Again, you can if you want to. However, you **_**have**_** to enjoy reading. I'm not giving you a choice. : ) EDIT UPDATE: JUNE 27, 2009: I have updated the descriptions of the Zodiacs in accordance to how I have drawn them. If you are interested in seeing the Revised Zodiac art, I have posted them on my Deviant Art account. Search Tengoko or follow the link that is on my profile page.**

Rated M

Chapter 5: Senshi Versus Senshi  
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They were waiting. For what? That wasn't clear just yet. The moon sat directly above their heads, it's pale glow illuminating the otherwise dark street they were standing on, throwing their tall shadows onto the concrete as they stretched into a dark alley that was untouched by the moonlight.

"Where are they?" Haruka asked, though the question was directed at nobody in particular. "This is where I was told they would be."

"Perhaps patience would be best practiced now," Hotaru replied, her hands jammed into her leather jacket to keep the autumn chill away from them. "I would assume they are trying to demonstrate that we are meeting on their terms and not on ours. That would be a logical conclusion to draw, I should think."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, that would be in their nature considering we were the ones to call this meeting of sorts. Leo wouldn't want us to think she can simple be ordered to show."

The girls continued to speculate until they heard a loud crash, as though somebody had dropped the lid of a garbage can from a second story window. Instinctively, the four assumed a defensive position, their hands immediately reaching for their transformation pens, and they waited for any sign of life.

"Ready yourself," Haruka, her voice deep and steady. Her eyes continued to search even as she raised the pen in front of her face as though to show whoever was there that she had it and would use it without hesitation.

They finally saw a trace of something golden in the darkness. "Have you been waiting long?" asked a woman whose pleasant voice carried to them. There was no answer, and this caused the woman to laugh. "Forgive me for my tardiness, but there were other matters that held priority over this one. You would understand."

The woman walked towards them, her heels clicking against the ground, echoing off the walls of the two buildings that made the alley. Finally, she stepped out into the moonlight, her boots being the first thing that the four girls saw; made of gold, spanning her leg from toe to knee. She had a red flame tattoo that seemed to start somewhere in her left boot and disappeared under her yellow skirt. The skirt was held up with a black belt that had an ornate, jewel, maybe a ruby. It seemed to capture the light of the moon and radiate it back onto her waiting foes. Her top was white, but at her breasts was a large, sun-shaped broach. She wore no sleeves, but rather, she had long, golden gloves that started near her shoulder and extended downward, stopping at her wrist. Her hands were bare.

Her deep blue eyes were intense and daunting. They stared hard at what was in front of her. Her short blonde hair was tucked behind her ears and, just above her brow, her golden tiara rest, the sign of Leo engraved in the center. At her side, she held two sharp, elaborate Chakrams, circular blades, which had rubies set into them.

"Have you come alone?" Haruka asked, taking a step forward.

"Transform," she demanded, pointing at their pens with one of her weapons. "Then we will talk."

Hotaru and Michiru looked at Haruka, waiting to see if that's what she wanted them to do. Setsuna smirked at the audacity that Leo had just displayed. Ordering them to transform? Haruka stared at Leo, upset that somebody had just told _her_ what to do, but in the end, she knew that they would have to transform soon anyway. With a nod, she quickly transformed; the others did the same.

"Now, answer my question," Uranus snapped taking hold of her Space Sword.

Leo's eyes showed only moderate amusement. "Are you the self proclaimed leader of the outer protectors? Ages ago, Saturn and Pluto answered to nobody. Yet, as my eyes witness, they are serving as lap dogs to one who is lesser."

"She told you to answer the question!" Pluto hissed, stepping up beside Uranus.

"Of course I am not alone," she smirked. "Do you honestly think that my senshi would allow me out unprotected?"

"So, you are the leader?" Neptune asked. "Sailor Leo?"

"I am," she replied, giving a curt nod to go along with it. "Come now, Neptune, you already knew the answer to that. Why are you wasting my time with such silly inquiries?" It was completely rhetorical, a question meant to belittle but not to be answered. "I have come here as you asked, Uranus. You have ten minutes.. However, choose your words wisely. Should I feel threatened, I will not hesitate to defend myself."

"We do not mean to do battle," Uranus admitted resentfully. "We are just interested. What has made the soldiers of the constellations turn on humanity?"

"Negligence," she answered abruptly, looking up at the moon above. "People have forgotten that if it wasn't for our existence, their inconsequential lives would be over." Her beautiful face that once held a smile was now tarnished with a bitter scowl, one that had Saturn gripping her glaive a little tighter.

"How can people forget what they never knew?" Neptune asked. "You have never once made your presence known until now, Sailor Leo. If the only people who knew about you died a Millennium ago, what more could you expect?"

"It is not our fault that nobody knew our names!" Leo shouted. "Queen Serenity had every opportunity to tell of our existence. But, she chose to keep us her little secret, and she took that secret with her to her grave. And we… we were too naive to realize what she had done."

"And what's that?" Saturn asked.

"She had used us. All those victories that we won, she took credit for. It was more convenient for her image to pretend that we didn't exist. She claimed to be protecting us, and we believed her. But, now we know it was nothing more than selfishness. Well, now it's our turn to be selfish. The humans on this planet only live because we have allowed them to, but we may be moved to change our minds unless we are given the proper thanks."

"Proper thanks?" Pluto repeated. "A noble heart wouldn't ask for anything in return for their service. Besides, this is your duty. I have been fighting just as long as you have because it's what I have to do, not because I expect anything from it!"

"Do not compare yourself to me!" she snapped rudely. "You are nothing! None of you are! Not even your pathetic little Moon-hime. That's why you went searching for the Terran Soldiers. Because you know that they are the only ones who stand a chance against us. But, you've just made it easier for us. With the Terran Warriors out of the way, there will be none to stop us from taking what is ours!"

Saturn shook her head. "Earth never belonged to you."

"You are getting into specifics, Sailor Saturn. We, however, are looking at the greater scheme of things. It isn't an object that we desire. If we wanted Earth, we'd have taken it centuries ago. We want the glory. The recognition. We want people to know that we are greater than Sailor Moon and her Sailor Senshi. And, if we have to kill you all to prove it… then so be it."

Her expression notably darkened at those words, and a feeling of uneasiness began tumbling around in Uranus' stomach. "I have one more question," she started.

"Ask," Leo urged, her smile returning.

"Why use youma? If you are so great, why not use your own powers?"

She chuckled at this. "The youma were necessary for Sagittarius to make our presence known. I ordered her not to fight, only to let one of Sailor Moon's senshi become aware that we do exist and we are enemy. Regrettably, the few youma that we were able to find were weak, and we only used Desha as a diversion. Nothing more. Rest assured, Uranus, once the real fighting starts, you'll see our powers first hand."

Uranus nodded before turning back to look at the three senshi behind her. Her eyes met Neptune's, and for a moment, they were locked in time. A small smile appeared at the corner of the Sea Warrior's lips, and Uranus nodded again. Turning back to face Sailor Leo, she rose her brow and unsheathed her sword. "Why wait 'til then?"

With frightening speed, Uranus raced towards Sailor Leo, her sword gathering energy along the way. They met with a clang, metal against metal. Right away, Uranus tried to gain the advantage, but the simple fact of the matter was that she only had one weapon; Sailor Leo had two. In one quick swipe, Leo was able to force Uranus back, and she in turn narrowly missed getting sliced by the Chakram, though her fuku wasn't so lucky

Uranus looked down at the tear in her uniform and then glared at Leo. "I will make you pay for that!" she said.

"I would be happy to," Leo said nonchalantly. "Why don't you come here and tell me how much I owe you?"

Uranus' clenched her sword and leapt at her. Leo easily dodged and swiped again, this time drawing blood on Uranus' arm. It wasn't one of those cuts that she was used to getting; the one that only scratched the surface and drew a little blood. This one went deep spilling lots of it.

"Uranus!" Neptune screamed, running towards them.

"Neptune! Stop!" Pluto shouted, catching her by the shoulder just as three cards, from out of nowhere, lodged themselves in the pavement in front of them. They stared curiously for a second and the Pluto pulled Neptune back to avoid the explosion that they caused.

"I'm tired of this," Leo said in a bored voice. She grabbed Uranus by her hair and flung her back towards Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. "I think it's time that we finish this conversation."

"We?" Saturn asked.

Neptune helped Uranus to her feet and her hand covered the deep gash on her arm. "Are you all right, Uranus?"

"I'll be fine," she lied.

Pluto backed up to stand next to Saturn. "Be on your guard," she whispered. Saturn nodded, but no sooner had she done that then they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. They both whirled around to see who it was.

She was shorter and skinnier than Leo. At first glance, this woman did not look like she'd come prepared for battle. The first thing that Pluto noticed was the white, asian style robe that she wore: fastened with three buttons along her torso and one opal gem just below her chin. Her gloves matched her robe from the white primary color to the red trip. Her fingers were exposed and in them, she was shuffling a pile of tartot cards. Her four inch heeled boots were white, extending to mid-calf, and laced up tight. Underneath the robe, it looked like she was a black camisole. Her belt, which was hardly visible, also had an opal. She had bottomless, sinister eyes, heavy set and incomprehensible. Her complexion was dark, darker even than Pluto's was. The only indication that she was a Senshi was the circlet she wore on her head, similar to Leo's. It gave away her identy: Sailor Scorpio.

The dark Senshi's menacing smile sent chills up Pluto's spine, especially since Scorpio seemed to have picked her target with her calculated stare. Sailor Pluto's clasp on her garnet rod stiffened. She had heard stories of the legendary Sailor Scorpio, second of the Zodiac Senshi. Mystifying and cunning, her power derived from her skills in the occult rather than in strength. However, one could not ignore her combat experience. This particular Senshi had been fighting just as long as Pluto had, and the battles she'd been in were at a much higher cost.

"The master of fortune and the guardian of the wandering dead, the child of the Scorpion," she began, her voice deep and sinister, "The great Mystic, guarded by the constellation Scorpio, favored by the God, Hades. The second of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Scorpio… has arrived."

Neptune stood erect, listening to her introduction, and then looked back down at Uranus. Her eyes caught sight of another woman coming down the street. This woman had the look of warrior. She wasn't overly tall, but she was strong. One could tell even from a distance. Her fuku also varied from the other senshi. Her white top was short, showing off a considerable amount of midriff. Her pale green skirt was held up by a teal belt, and the slit on the side went all the way up, revealing white bloomers underneath. Her gloves and boots matched: white with teal trim. She held at her side a large halberd. Her light, brown hair blew in the autumn wind and her piercing green eyes stared forward with determination. If she was cold, she gave no sign of it. Her eyes scanned slowly over the Outer Senshi, before coming to rest on Neptune; her chosen foe.

"The master of the charge and guardian of the brave, the child of the Bull. The great Enforcer, guarded by the constellation Taurus, favored by the Goddess, Aphrodite. The fourth of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Taurus… has arrived."

Uranus only vaguely listened to the introduction, not because she wasn't interested, but because somebody else had appeared on the other side of the street behind Neptune. She was positioned with her feet apart, her toes turned slightly in. Her boots were made of red leather and stopped at her ankles. Her skirt was red, transparent, but opulent, catching the light of the moon and sparkling radiantly. Beneath her skirt, she wore black shorts. Her long sleeved top was white and covered the rest of her body, all the way up to her neck where she wore a long necklace of rubies. She had no gloves. She did wear a hooded cape, and it reminded Uranus of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. At her chest was a large ruby broach and in her hands, she held a staff. But that didn't look nearly as deadly as the dagger that was concealed in her cape. From what Uranus could tell, her eyes were violet and her hair was black. Also... she was possibly the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen.

Her voice was raspy, but clear. "The master of herding fire and the guardian of animals, the child of the Ram. The great Staff, favored by the God, Ares. The third of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Aries… has arrived."

"I told you they were not far away," Leo said, matter-of-factly. "Ladies, bow before your enemy. It is customary to show respect to a worthy foe."

They all bowed their heads at once. "Uranus, plan your next move with care," Taurus told her. "For we are a group not to be underestimated."

"Yes, I am quickly learning that," Uranus said, rising to her feet. The four Outer Warriors stood together, the fire of impending battle lighting in their eyes. The Soldier of the Sky was the first to make her move.

Holding her hand high above her head, a large amount of concentrated energy shot into her fist. "Uranus, World Shaking!" she cried out, slamming her knuckles into the ground. Out of the pavement, a yellow orb raced towards Leo, gaining speed and power as it went. Yet, she seemed undisturbed by this.

The explosion made it impossible to see how much damage was dealt. However, before the smoke could clear, they heard a loud cry, and suddenly, Leo was hurling herself out of the dust, and rushing towards Uranus, her Chakrams poised for attack. Uranus had no time to parry the blow with her own sword. All she could do was back flip to avoid being swiped at again. And so, the deadly dance began.

Sailor Aries had removed her hooded cloak. With a quick flick of her arm, the thin, red material was flung beside her. Uranus had been right about the yes. They were violet; however, they also seemed to glow with a mysteries red light behind them. Her black hair was long and straight. And her beauty was beyond comparison. Bending low, she held her staff horizontally behind her, and ran towards Neptune, who was preparing her Deep Submerge. The Zodiac Senshi took this as their cue, and Taurus charged. Scorpio waited a moment, unfastened her robe, and then followed after her comrades.

Saturn was the first to react. Stepping in front of Neptune and Pluto, she held her glaive out in front of her. "Silence Wall!" she shouted. The barrier formed instantly. Neptune halted her attack, but just when she'd assumed the Wall would keep them safe from that side, she saw Sailor Aries break through Saturn's power and then attacked the younger girl. Though she was blocked, Saturn was forced backwards by the strength of the blow.

Pluto quickly went on the defensive. Scorpio was mostly using her fists and her feet. Her cards were in hand, ready for use, but it seemed she wasn't in the mood to use them just yet. Pluto grabbed her Garnet Rod with both hands, and tried to swing upwards in an attempt to uppercut Scorpio.

"Quicker," she whispered, before jumping in the air and landing on the rod.

Pluto laughed. "Giving me advice on how to beat you?" She swung again, quicker this time, and managed to hit Scorpio on her side. The Mystic Warrior smiled as though she'd been caused no pain at all. "Do you not feel?"

"Pain?" she asked, taking Pluto's garnet rod in her hand and ripping it away, sending it flying into the alleyway. "Yes, I feel pain. I rather enjoy it." Pluto's eyes grew wider. Scorpio laughed before performing a snap kick, knocking the taller woman in the jaw and to the ground.

Neptune had enough time to take in what was going on around her. Taurus merely stood in front of her, the blade of her large weapon pointed toward the ground. She heard Pluto cry out when Scorpio had kicked her. She heard Saturn gasp for air when Aries landed a hard hit to her stomach. She heard Uranus wince when Leo's Chakrams sliced the skin on her shoulder.

It took Neptune no time at all to know what Taurus was doing. Mind games. She meant to let Neptune see what was happening to her friends. She wanted it to get to her. And it was, even though she knew she was playing right into the enemy's hands.

"Afraid?" Taurus asked, her voice deep and strong. Neptune's silence served as her answer. "Good." With that, she lifted her halberd and closed the gap between them. Neptune could only dodge this senshi. She was quicker and stronger. A hit from Taurus could prove to be disastrous. "Do you refuse to fight?" she teased, not even sounding the least bit out of breath.

"I refuse to get hit," Neptune panted, annoyed at how quickly she was tiring.

"That's too bad."

The sharp pain came in an instant. Neptune was on her knees, her mouth automatically opened to release the loud howl of pain. But, Taurus hadn't even moved. How was it that she was hit? She forced herself to look down at her torso. The laceration was on her side. It was deep, and the blood was flowing freely, dripping onto the concrete.

Saturn blocked yet another attempt to hit her and swung her glaive at Aries. It seemed she wasn't used to being on the defensive and she was hit easily, the end of the glaive cutting straight just below her eye. Howling in anger, not in pain, she brought her staff down hard, breaking the glaive in half and hitting Saturn on the shoulder. She cried out as she hit the cement, and then her world went dark, probably because of the kick to her head that Aries happily doled out.

Uranus was in no condition to fight, but that didn't stop her. Cut after cut, but she didn't give up. Sailor Leo was actually impressed with her will to fight. "I underestimated you," she admitted, grabbing the bow at Uranus' chest to keep her from falling. She'd finally reached the end of her rope and was finding it difficult to stay conscious. "Your will is strong though your hand is not. I will find little pleasure in killing you, worthy adversary."

She released her and watched as she slumped to the ground, her eyes closing and staying that way. "This was much too easy," Taurus chided, looking passed Neptune.

"Indeed," Leo said. Sailor Neptune turned around to see Sailor Leo towering over her, her weapons at her side dripping with blood. Her heart began to race.

"Uranus," she cried when her eyes settled on the unconscious form of her fellow senshi.

"Saturn has been conquered," came another voice.

They all turned to watch the final fight. Scorpio ducked in time to avoid Pluto's fist. It was odd seeing this warrior without her weapon, but even so, she was faring quite well. She blocked Scorpio's kicks and punches and hardly looked worse for ware.

"They are stronger than I'd expected," Aries said, looking down at Saturn. "I had not thought I'd be returning to headquarters with a new scar this night. And you, Leo… you aren't unscathed either. She seemed to have nicked you a few times with that sword of hers."

"Yes, for the most part, they were a surprise," Taurus said. "Though Neptune was easily defeated."

"She still is alert," Aries said teasingly. "_We_ have completely subdued ours."

"Damn you!" Scorpio shouted when Pluto grabbed the back of her neck and forced her face into a hard elbow. There was a loud crack and blood fell from the Mystic's nose. "ENOUGH!" She jumped back and threw her cards at Pluto's feet. Pluto only had time to shield her face before the explosion knocked her back. She lay motionless; beaten.

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Taurus asked amusingly.

"I like toying with them," she answered, taking her nose between both hands and popping it back into place. "Only, this one toyed back." She walked up to join the others and asked, "What shall we do with them?"

Neptune watched everything wishing she could do something. Mustering the last of her strength, she got to her feet and held her submarine mirror out in front of her. "Neptune Submarine Reflec—."

"None of that!" Taurus said, kicking the mirror out of her hands. She reached out and grabbed Neptune's sea green hair, holding her close and painfully. "I suppose this one does have some kick to her. Now, what were we going to do with them?"

It was the longest moment of Neptune's life. Leo's eyes darted to the three Outer Senshi that lay on the pavement. Then they came to settle on Neptune. With a wicked grin, she said, "kill them."  
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**Tengoko: Originally, the Zodiac Senshi pretty much beat the living (Fill-in-the-blank) out of the Outer Senshi. But, it was pointed out how broken it seemed, so I decided to let the Outers get their hits in too. Hope you like it that way.**


	6. Sharing is Caring

**Tengoko: Well, this chapter marks the last to be edited, and then I can get on with normal updates again. Thanks for bearing with me, but I think, in the end, the story benefited from this a lot. Now, I know Minako seems a little OOC at some points but never fear; there is a reason behind her strange behavior that I will explain later. Well, the normal script: Please review, you'll be my best friend if you do. And enjoy chapter six. UPDATE: JUNE 27, 2009 - Just fixed some grammar mistakes. Didn't really change much other than that.**

Rated M

Chapter 6: Sharing is Caring  
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The street lamp kept flickering on and off and, somewhere in the distance, a car backfired. The street was pretty much empty if you didn't count the occasional car that would pass them or the stray dog that insisted on following the three men. The man in front, the one who wore red, seemed too preoccupied to be concerned with anything going on around them. The one wearing yellow kept turning around to see if the dog was still following them, but other than that, didn't seem at all bothered by it. The man wearing white walked arrogantly, pretending to be blissfully unaware of the dog or of their purpose for walking the streets this late at night.

"This is the building," Seiya said, looking up at the tall high rise. "Her mother said that she lived here with… him."

Yaten considered the building before shrugging. "Yes, imagine that. A woman living with her husband. How scandalous she is?" He ignored the censuring look Taiki threw his way and continued. "Well, are we going to go inside and see if she's home, or are you going to call to her to lower her hair?"

"Shut up," Taiki said, walking towards the front doors. "Let's just be done with this. My feet are killing me, and maybe she'll invite us to sit down."

Seiya chuckled and followed the taller man with a hint of uncertainty. He had desired to see Usagi since they'd arrived in Tokyo once again, and up until this moment, it was the thing he wanted most in the world. But now that he was practically standing at her doorstep, he didn't think he could face her again, especially not now that she was no longer Tsukino Usagi, the Odango-Otama that he'd known before. She was now Chiba Usagi, a married woman and completely unattainable.

He stopped. "Maybe you two should go up without me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Taiki said. "You haven't been dragging us all over the city just to be a coward now, have you?" Seiya didn't answer. He threw his hands up and groaned loudly, not caring if other people heard him. "Well, that settles it. I guess we won't be seeing Usagi-chan tonight, after all." He began striding in the direction they came, but it was Yaten who ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no you don't. I have not spent an entire day looking for this girl only to go home the minute we finally find her. I'll go up by myself if I have to, but we aren't leaving yet."

Yaten began walking towards the front doors, but Seiya, who was even more nervous than before, ran at him and tried to pull him back. The shorter man pushed Seiya away from him reflexively and at the door to the building.

As luck would have it, the door opened at the exact moment Seiya was going to hit it, and he, and the person who'd been about to come through, lay sprawled out on the carpeted floor, cursing each other and everything else they could think of.

Seiya quickly sat up, rubbed his thigh, and said absently. "I'm sorry. That was an accident."

"Seiya-san…?"

His head snapped around to see who had addressed him. The girl he'd knocked down looked at him with wide, burgundy eyes and a smile as big as Japan itself. There was something very familiar about her, but he swore up and down that he'd never seen her before. He just couldn't place it. "Do I know you?"

"Yes— well, you will," she said, brushing off her skirt and jumping to her feet. "I'm very glad to have found you guys," she said, looking at the three men together as Taiki helped Seiya to his own feet.

"Who are you?" Yaten asked, also feeling as though he should know this girl.

"My name is Chiba Usagi," she said. She looked up at the three familiar faces and smiled. She considered telling them that she knew them because they served her father in the future, but they probably wouldn't believe her. Would think she was some nutter, more like. No, she'd be better off waiting to explain things when Pluto and Saturn were around.

"You liar," Yaten spat. How could she even pretend to be Usagi? Usagi had blonde hair and blue eyes and was shorter than this girl in front of them. Also, this girl had pink hair that she wore almost like Usagi, but not quite.

"I'm not a liar!" she said angrily. "And I don't have time for explanations. I came looking for my mother because I think that the Outer Sailor Senshi are in trouble. As it is, they aren't here, and that's why it's good that I ran into you three. Please, if we don't get to them soon, I am afraid that the Zodiac Senshi will kill them."

The three men exchanged glances. It could be a trap, though they seriously doubted it. This girl had an all too familiar glow, something that told them she wasn't the type to lie about something like this. And, that being the case, it means that Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn were in trouble.

"Lead the way," Seiya said.

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"Wait a second," Minako said, interrupting Mamoru for the seventh time. Two pairs of eyes glared at her each time she did this, but she found it easy to ignore Norio, at least. Kenji was a different matter, but as long as she pretended to ignore him, that's all that mattered. "You mean, you knew all along who they were?"

Mamoru nodded and continued. "It was impossible not to know. Setsuna-san had come to me asking for the stones. She told me what had to happen for my Shitennou to return and how hard and long their journey had to be. It pained me to think that you would endure so much without me there to help you, but it was the price I was willing to pay to have you all back."

Zen, who was sitting next to Ami on the white leather couch nodded slowly. "If it's any consolation, Mamoru-san, we don't remember any of it. Then again, I can only speak for myself."

Norio laughed but affirmed it. "I remember nothing about it."

Mamoru nodded. "I gave her the stones three years ago, and then, quite suddenly, the four of you show up all at once. I knew it was no coincidence. Even more convenient was the fact that Zen-san took to me so quickly, trusting me whole-heartedly. And through him, I met you three, and it felt like I was being reunited with family that I never knew I had."

Rei looked up when he said this and noticed the expression all the faces of the four men seemed to soften. She smiled, knowing that now, without a shadow of a doubt that these were not the men from the Dark Kingdom. This thrilled her to no end. These men were strong and powerful, she could sense it. Their added powers to the team would definitely make fighting much easier. It also didn't hurt that all four of them were as handsome as sin, so at least she'd have something to look at.

"Why didn't you tell us then?" Norio asked, his voice sounding slightly accusatory. "We've been looking for you since we got here, and this whole time, you were right in front of us."

"It would be a lie if we told you that we never suspected that you were our prince," Jed said. "As you said, there was just something about you the first time we met. The light that surrounded you." He looked up at Mamoru and then at Kenji. "I think he always knew it was you. How could he not, the way you two used to be? But, there was always doubt. We had to know for sure."

Mamoru looked at Kenji. It was true. Of all the memories he retained from the Silver Millennium, some of his most treasured involved his then best friend, Kunzite. It had wounded Endymion more than anything when he had learned that his most trusted and dearest friend had been turned against him and would inevitably cause his death.

Kenji must have read his mind. "There is much that I regret," he told him, his voice strong but remorseful. "And in this life, I vow that I will make things right."

Ami smiled and looked at Zen who seemed distracted by the black cat sitting in his lap. Luna looked up at her impatiently, and that seemed to remind Ami of why they'd originally decided to come here. "Well, now that we've settled that, can we move on?" They all looked at her, and at once, the five men started laughing. She blushed fiercely, but continued. "Well, it's obvious that we have a new enemy, isn't it? Sailor Sagittarius. And, she said she was but one of a group of senshi. I think maybe it's time to discuss them, don't you think?"

She asked nobody in particular, but since her sapphire eyes had fallen on Zen, they all assumed it was directed at him. He stared at her for a second and then nodded. "Yes, I wish we had gotten to fight her more. It would have given us an idea as to what we were up against. Instead, she left a youma."

"A what?" Jed asked, sitting up a little straighter, causing the white cat in his lap to wake up.

"Oh right, you wouldn't remember them, would you?" Luna said. "They were the monsters used by Beryl and the Dark Kingdom against the Sailor Senshi. They were quite weak and rather stupid, so it's no surprise that you were able to defeat it easily."

"Well, if they _are _using youma," Makoto started, looking at Ami, "then maybe this won't be so difficult. We've fought youma before, and we're a lot stronger now than we were then. So, this shouldn't be too—"

"Ah, Mako-chan," Minako said, cutting her off. "Rule one of fighting a new enemy, never say that it shouldn't be too hard. They always tend to prove you wrong."

Kenji glanced at her for a moment before nodding his head. "Though she has a funny way of saying it, Aino-san does raise an excellent point. We do not know our enemy well enough to estimate what they are capable of. So, should we encounter them, you must be prepared for anything."

"Let's try and figure out more about them from what we do know," Rei said. "She said she was a member of the Zodiac Senshi. Well, in that case, there are probably twelve of them. And, she made it clear that she was under orders, so she isn't the leader and definitely not the strongest then."

"We can't really determine her strength though," Jed said, petting the white cat in his lap who purred contentedly. "Until one of us gets to fight one of them, we can only speculate."

"Well, you're good at researching, aren't you Mr. History?" Norio asked. "There must be something about these Senshi written somewhere."

"That's doubtful," he replied. "I'd imagine most records about the Senshi would have been destroyed during the fall of the Silver Millennium. I can confidently say that there aren't any documented records on earth of the Silver Millennium."

"Do you know anything about them, Artemis?" Minako asked.

He frowned. "The King used to tell stories of them to his daughter, but I merely thought them to be legend. He glorified them so extremely that I thought it couldn't be anything but a legend. According to him, Sailor Leo, the most powerful of them all, leads them. The remaining eleven serve her with unfaltering loyalty, and together, the Constellation Warriors defend this Solar System from those that would do it harm. They'd been friends to the Moon Kingdom, but had managed to vanish, keeping themselves from being found. Perhaps if they hadn't disappeared, the Moon Kingdom never would have fallen, but that's not relevant. The thing is, if the King was speaking truthfully, something happened that made the Zodiac Senshi decide to fight against the side of good."

"Well, let's hope he was only exaggerating," Makoto said.

"I guess I'll do some scouting to find out what I can. In the mean time—."

"No!" Usagi said. "Did you not hear any of that? What if you do find one of them? You won't be able to fight them on your own."

"Usagi-chan, it's my job. We're going to face them eventually, you know. Besides, this decision is up to me. I know it's easy to forget, but I am the leader."

"Well, about that," Luna started. "It gets complicated now that the Shitennou are restored to Mamoru-san. If the teams are to combine, leadership must be discussed."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked.

"She means we all have to agree on who we are going to follow," Jed answered.

"Well, I've been the leader of this group for six years!" she shouted. "It's always been that way, and according to Pluto, that's the way it is in Crystal Tokyo."

Mamoru blinked. "When did Pluto tell you that?"

"It was when we were fighting Nehelenia the second time, when we were trapped in her illusions. Right before we were attacked, she and I talked about my duties to the Sailor Senshi. Now you are telling me I have to give it up?"

"Nobody is saying that," Rei said. "I won't follow anybody but Minako-chan."

"And I won't follow anybody but Kenji-san," Jed said. "He's obviously better suited for this role. He's more disciplined, more mature, and not whining like a baby right now."

"Perhaps a compromise?" Ami suggested.

"What do you have in mind, Ami-chan?" Zen asked.

"Would you be willing to share the leadership position?"

"Sharing?" Kenji said, raising his brow. "Yes, I suppose I wouldn't mind. But, we're going to have to discuss precisely what this means so there isn't a power struggle between Aino-san and I."

"I don't want to share anything with him!" Minako yelled.

"I don't think you're going to have a choice, Minako-chan," Mamoru said seriously. "It's time to grow up and learn to find the middle ground. I like the idea of you two having equal leadership. It unites the teams nicely, I think."

"No! I refuse to do it!"

"Well, if that's the case," Kenji said calmly, "then I am going to press for full leadership. I would speak for myself and explain why I think I'm better for it, but I believe Jed-san has already done enough promotion for my sake."

"No, this is ridiculous," Mamoru said. "Minako-chan… these are you choices: either you share the role with Kenji-san, or you can give it up to him. Which do you prefer?"

She looked at Mamoru with horror-stricken eyes. Then she looked at Kenji. That smug smile made her want to punch him in the face. Her face red with anger, she grabbed her purse and yelled. "I'll share it with him… for now! But don't expect me to be happy about it!" She left it at that and stormed out of the apartment.

"Minako-chan," Ami called, rising to chase her.

Makoto grabbed her arm. "When she has her fits like that, it's best to just let her sort it out on her own."

Ami nodded and grabbed her own purse. "I guess so. Anyway, it's late, and it's time to be getting back to the University."

"I'll drive you there," Zen said, jumping to his feet.

"It's okay, really," Ami said. "It's only a few blocks away."

"What kind of gentlemen would I be if I allowed beautiful ladies like yourselves to wander the streets of Tokyo at this hour? Rei-san, Makoto-san… Ami-chan… let me drive you home."

Rei got to her feet. "Okay," she said easily. "I can't argue with that." That and she wasn't in the mood to walk. It was cold outside. Makoto laughed and followed the raven-haired girl out into the hall. Zen closed the door behind him after holding it open for Ami and winked at the guys before leaving.

Usagi laughed. "He's cute. I like him for Ami-chan."

"He'll be glad to know he has your approval," Mamoru said in a tired voice. He sighed and looked at Kenji. "I really do apologize for Minako-chan. There's no excuse for her to behave like that."

Kenji shrugged. "You don't have to apologize for her."

"Damn," Jed said, still looking at the door.

"What?" Norio asked.

"Do you think Zen practices lines like that, or does it come naturally to him?"

Norio laughed. "Knowing Zen, I wouldn't be surprised if he did."

----------  
**Tengoko: I know I didn't really say what happened to the Outer Senshi. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about them. You'll find out who lived and died, if any or all, in the next chapter, which I hope will be up very soon. **


	7. Minako's Woes

**Tengoko: Updated again. Sorry for the wait. Many of you sent me messages asking me if I had discontinued the story. Not at all. I will not abandon this story or any story I have on . Anyway, I have posted some fanart for this particular fanfiction on Deviant Art so if you are interested in looking at it ask me for the link and I will send it to you. Well, read and please review. Enjoy!  
**

**Rated M**

**Chapter 7: Minako's Woes  
**--

_Why is it so dark? _She wondered to herself. She couldn't be dead. This was obvious because she heard the distant sound of a television in the background. Since she'd died many times before, she knew that death was nothing, and therefore, death was silent. She held her hand up in front of her face. She couldn't see it. Was she blind? She certainly hoped not. Getting revenge on the one who'd put her in this state was one of her main concerns right now, and being blind certainly would hamper that goal. She shifted a little and a sharp pain shot up her spine, running up to her mouth and coming out in a load groan. "Christ!" she shouted.

"Whoa, don't move so fast."

She looked straight up and thought, "_Well, here I am_."

"I'm glad that you are awake." The voice belonged to a man, and it was a very sweet voice at that. "We were all very worried that we'd arrived too late."

"Sorry…" she said softly. "But who are you?"

"I was quite certain that you'd remember. Here, let me turn the light on, Setsuna-san."

She felt him reaching across her, causing a slight pain to reemerge in her spine. The light from the lamp beside her nearly blinded her, and her crimson eyes immediately snapped shut. Now she knew how the Shitennou felt when they woke up. Slowly, she opened her lids and was staring up into the benevolent eyes of Kou Taiki.

He smiled at her. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"

She grimaced. Usually now was the time for her to thank him for his care but assure him that she would be fine. She wasn't in the mood for the nice chat though. "I feel like I just got my assed kicked," she said, sitting up on her elbows a little. "I don't know what hurts more… my pride… or my ass."

Taiki laughed. He wondered if this uncharacteristic humor of Setsuna's was a result of perhaps a blow to the head. Then again, he never saw the true side of her in the past considering that their two groups were always at odds.

"How did you know to come for us?" she asked, leaning her back against the headboard.

"We were told that you were trying to take on the Zodiac Senshi by yourselves. Usagi-chan was very worried that you and the others were already finished."

"Usagi-chan?"

"Yeah, we were confused, too. Apparently, she's Usagi-chan's and Mamoru-san's child from the thirtieth century."

Setsuna understood what he meant now and smiled. "Small Lady," she said to herself. "The others… are they all right?"

Taiki stopped smiling. "Michiru-san and Hotaru-chan are going to be just fine. Just a little scratched and bruised, but nothing that they can't recover from. Haruka-san is in a poor condition, but I think she's going to be okay. You and your friends are very lucky that Leo and her Senshi decided to retreat upon our arrival."

"Yes… yes we are," she agreed, looking at him. "Where is Hotaru-chan?"

"She is sleeping now. Yaten-chan is with her, so don't worry about her well-being. Seiya and Usagi-chan are with Haruka-san and Michiru-san, but they are both awake now if you wish to go and see them. I wouldn't recommend it though. You need to rest a bit more and regain your strength. I'm going to stay with you for a while."

Setsuna smiled appreciatively and settled herself back onto the bed. In minutes, her eyes were closed and she was sleeping again. Taiki waited a few more moments before leaning over and turning the light back out. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and he watched as Setsuna slept peacefully in front of him. His brow was furrowed in vexation. If the outer senshi could be so easily defeated by four of the Zodiac Senshi, there certainly was going to be a problem when all twelve decided to join the fight.

--

Minako didn't know why it bothered her so much. It's not like she was, by nature, a selfish person who couldn't be compromised with. She was also one who never shirked at having new allies, especially in the face of a new enemy. So, why now did she hate the idea of sharing her leadership? Maybe it was because it was him; a man who was dead set against her and was always giving her a hard time. It could have been anybody else. She would have preferred Zen. She actually liked him. He seemed like a sweet person. And Norio... he hadn't actually gone out of his way to offend her or any of her friends. Jed seemed funny and though he seemed less experienced than the others, she still would have wanted to share the position with him instead of Kenji.

"Minako," Artemis began, following behind her. "The campus is the other direction. Why are you going this way?"

Minako sighed. "My mother wants me to go home for the weekend," she said sadly. It was no secret to anybody that Minako and her mother did not get along. If she knew that her daughter was not doing well in physics, she was the type of mother who would definitely pull her daughter out of school and tell her to get her own job to waste her own money to fail a class.

"Oh. Perhaps you should have asked for a ride. It would have been safer, don't you think? These are things that you have to think about now, especially now that you are a matured leader."

"Please don't lecture me right now, Artemis," she said, stopping in front of a bench and sitting down. "I'm getting enough of that from everybody else, and will probably get more of it when I get back on Sunday."

"Well, you were acting pretty childish, Minako," he said bravely, and then braced himself to be hit as she threw a nasty glare at her. "Well, I'm not going to sugar coat things for you anymore. You aren't in high school. You are a woman now, and I'm going to treat you that way. That said, you handled what happened back there very poorly. Kunzite… Kenji-san…is a great leader. They weren't lying when they said he is far more experienced in these matters. He knows how to handle times of conflict with startling ease. You could learn a lot from him, Minako, and I think you should embrace the shared leadership."

Minako looked down at the ground. "I can't share it with him. Anybody else, but not him."

"Why not, Minako? Anybody else wouldn't be as good as he is."

"And you remember how he was?"

"Actually, I do. I know that the prince wouldn't go anywhere or do anything without getting his counsel. I know that he was the head of the army on earth during many wars where the victory was far out of their grasp, but he grasped it anyway. He was very noble and dutiful… and the Kunzite of the Silver Millennium was very much in love with…" he trailed off.

"With?" Minako asked, urging him to continue.

"It doesn't matter," he answered. "This is a different time, but I can tell he's retained much of his honor. Minako, put aside whatever petty grudge you have against him, and do it for the good of the Senshi. That's what a good leader does; they do what's good for the masses even if it's something they don't want for themselves."

Minako knew he was right, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. Looking up at the moon, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness. For the first time she felt that things were slipping away from her hands and she couldn't get a grip.

"You will grow to respect him, I'm sure. You did back then. The Princess of Venus and Lord Kunzite were always arguing with each other when they were in the same room. But, in the end, they became closer to each other than anybody could have ever imagined."

She looked at Artemis with confusion. "How can I grow to respect a man who hates me?"

"You can't possibly know how he truly feels about you unless you've heard the words straight from his own mouth."

"He might as well have told me that, the way he speaks down to me and makes me feel stupid," she said loudly, tears forming in her eyes. "When I go to him for help, he condescends to me and makes me feel dumb, and, to me, that's like the black pot putting the kettle on the fire too soon."

Artemis blinked and then ventured a guess as to what she truly meant. "Do you mean, like the pot calling the kettle black?"

Minako blushed from embarrassment. She really needed to stop trying to make comparisons. She always said the wrong thing, or she said the right thing but mixed it up. Groaning loudly, she stomped her foot on the ground and stood up, kicking a nearby wastebasket. "I hate how stupid I am."

"Minako, you aren't stupid. Your strength is in knowledge of a different kind. So what if you can't do physics or calculus? I know that you are very good at History and you are very adept at music and sports. That's something to be proud of, so don't ever sell yourself short."

She shrugged. "Sometimes…" she trailed off and looked down, ashamed with herself. Artemis hopped onto the bench next to her and looked at her with his worried blue eyes. She decided to continue. "Sometimes I wish I were more like the others. I wish I was loveable like Usagi-chan. I wish I was confident like Rei-chan. I wish I was beautiful like Mako-chan. I wish I was smart like Ami-chan. I wish for that one most of all… to be smart like Ami-chan."

Artemis shook his head and put a paw on her lap. "Minako, you are all of those things. I always thought that you were aware of it. I guess… I guess I missed it."

She felt her eyes filling with tears but fought them back. She refused to show up to her parent's house with red eyes and rosy cheeks; a clear indication that she was crying. She wasn't in the mood for her mother to nag and pick at her to find out what was wrong. Taking a deep breath, she got back to her feet and looked at Artemis.

"Maybe it's just one of those days," she smiled half-heartedly. "Let's go, Artemis."

He nodded and hopped down from the bench, walking slowly by her feet. After a few yards, he stopped paying attention. He wondered where Luna was. Probably with Usagi and Mamoru. He smiled as he thought about her. One day, he and Luna would be married and they'd have a daughter. The fact was irrefutably certain. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed that Minako had stopped walking until he ran into somebody's ankle and, mortified, he jumped back behind the soldier of love's feet.

The girl standing before them was… well, it's difficult to explain. While she had long blonde hair that fell to her back and blue eyes, there was something off about her. Maybe it was because her eyes were the darkest blue Minako had ever seen. She was about the same height as Minako, and had the exact same build aside from the shoulders: the stranger's shoulders looked slightly more broad as though she lifted weights in her free time. She was extremely beautiful. Still, there was only one thing on Minako's mind right now… that this girl had deliberately gotten in her way.

"Can I help you?" she asked in an irritated voice.

"Perhaps," was her answered. She looked Minako up and down, sizing her up for some reason. Then she said, "for a Sailor Senshi of the Earth, I expected more by way of appearance."

Minako's eyes widened angrily. "Who are you?" And had she just called her ugly? Great! That's exactly what Minako needed. More to doubt about herself.

"Glad that you asked," she said, smiling. Pulling out what looked like a large marble. She didn't speak, but somehow, a transformation was triggered, and in a flash of blue light and a few seconds later the same woman stood in front of her dressed in a sleeveless, white fuku. Around her torso she wore what looked like a modified blue robe or corset. In the back, it stretched down to her knees but in the front it didn't go above her breats or below her midsection. It was complimented with dark blue trip just like her long white boots were. He white gloves were small, only stretching up to her wrist. Around her neck she wore a necklace that resembled a collar that was fastened by a blue gem. Her earings were blue and had a thin, pale blue material that hung down. What fascinated Minako, though, were the two fans she held out. Blue, deadly looking things with spiked razors on the rims.

Artemis backed away. "She's a constellation warrior," he whispered. Minako only vaguely heard him.

"The master of harmony and beauty, guardian of the gullible, the child of the scales. The lover, guarded by the constellation, Libra. One of the favored of Aphrodite, the fifth of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Libra… has arrived."

"Well then…" Minako said with a smile before pulling out her pen and transforming. "Sorry I asked," Venus stated. "Had I known I was going to get a long winded introduction, I would have just kept the question to myself."

"How dare you, you impertinent child!" she screamed, balling her hands into fists at her sides.

"You wouldn't be the first to call me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now, if you are quite finished, I suppose you'd like to try to defeat me now?"

"Try? No… not try," she said, holding her hand up and elegantly flipping a fan in front of her face. "The warrior of love against the warrior of the wind. Which will prevail?" She jumped back, put one foot forward and swung one fan in front of her and one behind. It was as though she was about to perform an elegant dance of some sort. And in a way, she did. Twisting around, she yelled, "Libra Falcon Wind!"

Venus didn't even see the attack coming. She was thrown back into the bench she'd just gotten up from, her back slamming against the metal before she fell onto the concrete. "Falcon…!"

She shot to her knees. "Love and Beauty…"

"Wind!"

"Shock!"

Venus watched as her attack raced towards the woman. It suddenly stopped. "Wha…?"

"Venus, move!" Artemis shouted in horror as he watched her attack be blown back by the unseen gust of wind and hit Venus square on her chest. "Venus!" he screamed, running towards her.

Libra laughed. "Are you telling me the leader of the inner planetary senshi cannot hold her own against the fifth of the Constellation Warriors. Oh, dear… this war isn't going to go well for your friends. Fortunately for you, I'm going to be merciful and take you out of the equation. I hope you don't mind dying, little girl."

Venus propped herself up and watched as Libra raised her fans. 'I'm going to die,' Venus thought. It wouldn't be the first time she did. But, it would be the first time that she died alone. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. And who would find her body? Would Libra even leave her body to be found? This wasn't fair. She just wanted to go home. And after she'd promised not to go scouting for them, too. Would the senshi believe that she hadn't been doing that? Or would they think she disobeyed Mamoru? She closed her eyes and readied herself to die. She wasn't ready though... Trying to make piece with your God seconds before death didn't mean that you were ready to die.

She heard Libra grunt and her eyes opened. She saw a green whip wrap around her hand, pulling her back and making the Constellation Warrior fall onto the pavement. Venus looked over to see who had rescued her. Nephrite pulled the whip back and then snapped it again in an attempt to hit Libra. She merely rolled to the side to dodge it and tried to shoot an attack at him. Nephrite was too fast for that. He merely ran, did a verticle leap, and then tried to hit her again before even landing. Venus could have cried. In fact, she started to. As the tears started to fall, she felt somebody grab her shoulder, and she turned, ready to fight them off.

"It's only me," Kunzite said, grabbing her fist as she threw it. He put his hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet. He didn't know why she was crying. Wasn't she supposed to be some tough warrior? He was about to admonish her for doing that, but he saw how relieved she looked. How terrified she'd been. She really thought she was going to die... "You're safe now," he told her. "Did she hurt you?"

"Not nearly enough!" Libra answered, overhearing him. She turned back towards her. "Falcon Wind!" Venus felt a tugging feeling in the pit of her stomach as Kunzite yanked her back and covered her with his body. She felt the attack hit him, and his feet slid on the pavement. But he didn't cry out. She looked up at him, surprised by what he'd just done. He didn't seem to notice. He turned back around to face her. The attack hurt more than he showed, but right now, he couldn't dwell on the pain. He had to get her out of here before she killed Venus.

"You're outnumbered," he told her. "Leave now or I shall be forced to kill you." He unsheathed his sword. Behind her, Nephrite did the same. Then the two of them started approaching her.

"Terran Warriors," Libra hissed, as though it had just dawned on her. She looked at him and then behind her at Nephrite. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were closing in from both directions. "To defeat you would bring great honor to my name," she said, preparing to send her attack at them.

"You may one day be lucky enough to gain such honor," Kunzite said. "But not today." He flung his free hand forward, throwing a curved blade at her. She bent backward to avoid getting hit by it, and it turned in midair and came back to Kunzite. After he caught it, he charged forward. She did the same. She bent to jump over him, but as she lifted off the ground, he caught her wrist and threw her onto the sidewalk. She tried to free her hand from his grip, but he wasn't having that. Libra looked horrified. She had not expected such strength. She lifted her foot to kick him in the knee, but he released her hand and caught it before she could do much damage. Then he pointed his sword at her throat. "Remember that you are no longer fighting one of the Sailor Senshi."

"You will regret this, Terran!" she screamed. She swung one of her fans forward, and he had no choice but to release her and back away or risk being sliced horribly. Her blades were about to hit his face, but he threw a hand up to prevent that. It deflected her fans, but his arm wasn't lucky enough not to be cut. They all heard his uniform tear and his hiss of pain before his blood started to soak through the material. "No prayer will spare you my wrath." She jumped back again and looked at Venus. "I shall make it my personal mission to end you." Then she vanished into thin air.

"That wasn't so hard," Nephrite said, walking up behind Kunzite.

"Tell that to my arm," he replied, looking down at it. "Good thing I blocked that kick. She would have taken my knee out with a kick like that. And, she was cornered and outnumbered. She will fight differently in a controlled situation. That's why Venus was easily…" he stopped talking and looked at her. She was standing next to the bench, looking as though they had just lost the battle. And he didn't blame her. Somebody who had just proven how much stronger she was than her had just threatened to kill her. Kunzite actually felt sorry for her.

"Venus, are you all right?" Nephrite asked, walking up beside her. "What happened?"

"You weren't scouting, I hope?" Kunzite said pointedly.

She shook her head. "Of course not. I was told not to so I won't. You may think I am some child who can't follow the simplest of instructions, but I'm not. And, for your information I was heading to my house for the weekend."

"I was not implying anything of the sort, Venus," Kunzite reassured her. He looked at her. "You aren't injured, are you? You never did get around to answering that question."

"A little bruised, but I've had worse," she answered truthfully. "You? Your arm looks horrible. Here," she said, grabbing his wrist. She was about to tear a piece of her fuku to wrap around his arm, but he quickly snatched his hand away. She tried her best not to look hurt. "I'm not contagious," she said softly.

Kunzite looked down at his hand. "I know that," he said just as softly. "But, you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. Just like you, I've had much worse. That said, I think Nephrite and I will be escorting you home given what just happened."

She didn't argue. She turned to Artemis who was eyeing Kunzite strangely. "Let's go, Artemis. The battle is over, but it seems the worse part of the night hasn't even begun."


	8. Dreams and Reunions

**Tengoko: Speedy update! Well, I guess I'll address some things that were brought to my attention: For the most part, Minako/Venus is one of the more prominent characters in the story, perhaps even the main character. However, as it is a Sailor Moon fan fiction, it is important to include all of the characters and not just one or two of them. The Zodiac Senshi are the main enemy and in the next couple of updates you will learn more about them and see some more action, I promise. As for the fate of the Zodiac Senshi, I cannot reveal that without spoiling the story. I'd like to thank those of you who did review and I will ask that you all please review. It does motivate me. Well, I'll stop babbling now and let you read. Enjoy!**

**Rated M for Romance and Language**

**Chapter 8: Dreams and Reunions  
--**

Mamoru loved Saturdays. Mostly because it meant he wouldn't have to wake up early to go to school and then work. He supposed he had no real reason to complain. He was lucky that he was a teacher's assistant at the college and didn't actually have to work a part time job as a waiter or something. He didn't think he'd be able to handle the stress of all that. Yes, this worked out for the best. In this way, location was convenient and the pay was much better. Anyway, being a teacher's assistant had one other perk: he had weekends off.

Still, he cursed that his body was use to waking up at eight in the morning. Even if he said the night before that he was going to sleep in, it never failed. He just couldn't stay asleep. He turned and looked at Usagi sleeping peacefully. He wished he could sleep like she did. Rolling over to his side he put his arm over her and kissed her cheek.

"Mamo-chan," she sighed, opening her eyes slightly. "What time is it?"

"It's eight fifteen, Usa-ko," he said softly, pulling her close to him. "I hadn't meant to wake you up, sweetie. I just wanted to say good-morning."

"No, it's fine," she whispered, stretching as much as she could without bothering him. "I was going to call Minako-chan and see how she was doing anyway. I've been worried about her ever since Norio-san told you that she was attacked yesterday. Plus, now that we have somebody who has fought one of the Zodiac Senshi, we can actually start planning things."

He smiled. A few years ago the thought of planning out a battle or summing up an enemy would never have occurred to his beautiful wife. Yet, he'd noticed that ever since their battle with Galaxia she'd been a little more grown up. Sure, she had those childish tendencies that he'd originally fallen in love with, but his wife was very much a woman now.

"Kenji-san told me that she was fine," Mamoru said, sitting up. "Besides, she's at her mother's house this weekend. Perhaps we can put planning off until Monday."

"She's worrying me," Usagi said truthfully, pulling the comforter up to her chin. "She has not been herself for a long time. I think something is wrong with her."

"Who? Minako-chan?" he asked, looking back at her. "I think she's fine. Probably bitter about having to share her position with Kenji, but that's how Minako-chan is."

"She's been acting strange before then, Mamo-chan." She sat up and looked down at her hands. "Mako-chan has noticed it, too. She came to me the other day and started talking about how Minako will sometimes just stare out of the window and cry. And she sleeps all the time now. It's like she lost her motivation to do anything. She's even been skipping her theater classes which isn't like her at all. The only reason she still goes to physics is because Mako-chan drags her out of bed." She looked at him helplessly. "Mamo-chan... I think she's depressed."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you except that you should talk to her and find out. If she is depressed, she's going to need help getting out of it. These sort of things you just can't leave up to the person to deal with alone. She needs to know that we care about her and that we're going to be here for her no matter what." He got to his feet and walked over to his dresser drawer just as the telephone rang. "I'll get it, sweet heart," he said turning and walking to the nightstand where the phone was. "Hello?"

"Mamo-chan!"

He froze. He couldn't have heard that right. "Chibi…Usa?" Usagi sat up quickly. "Is that you?"

"Yep, it is. I meant to call you last night but some things happened. Anyway, I'm at Seiya-san's house right now."

"Seiya-san? Chibi-Usa… why are you here? I thought that you were going to stay in the thirtieth century. Is something wrong?"

"I was told to not answer your questions until you got here to see me."

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Let me guess; Setsuna-san is there with you, isn't she? Only she would advise you to be that cryptic. Well, give me the address, Chibi-Usa. Usa-ko and I will go over there just as soon as we get dressed."

--

Minako woke that morning in a cold sweat. Her body practically jolted awake, her lips let out something between a scream and a gasp. Immediately her hand flew to her face, her fingers digging into her bangs as she closed her eyes tightly. Her mind was racing in one hundred different directions, but the image the replayed in her mind was the same over and over again. Her tears were falling uncontrollably and she had to struggle to get her breathing down to a normal pace. This was not the first time she woke up in the middle of an anxiety attack. The dream she had was no ordinary nightmare. It wasn't often you dreamt of being murdered. But she saw the graphic scene, saw the one who had killed her. Of course, she'd never met the woman in real life but assumed she was one of the Zodiac Senshi judging by her uniform. She was powerful, beautiful, and dangerous. Minako didn't know why she'd tried to fight her but, as it turned out, the woman was too strong for Minako and sliced her with her circular blade across her torso; from her right shoulder to her left hip.

Minako opened her eyes. "It was just a dream," she told herself. Looking around she began to reassure her mind. The familiar setting of her bedroom did little to ease her and since she knew she couldn't count on falling asleep again, she got up and began getting dressed.

It seemed her mother and father were out for the morning. Probably had gone to the store and then out for breakfast like they usually did. That was perfect. That would give her enough time to slip out and go for a walk to clear her mind.

"Minako, where are you going?" Artemis asked, watching her pull on her short, black jacket.

"I'm going for a walk Artemis. You are welcome to join me but I may not be much in the way of company. I'm not feeling very talkative today."

Artemis stretched, his paws going out in front of him, his butt in the air. "I'm not sure that's a good idea given what happened yesterday, Minako."

"Don't worry about me," she said, walking over to her desk where her red bow was. She began tying her hair up in its usual style. "I don't intend on walking through alleyways or places where I'll be alone. You should stay here, Artemis. I know you are tired."

He looked at her for a moment. "You are sure you are going to be fine?"

"Of course," she said, smiling to assure him of the fact. She watched him lay back down and then turned to head down the stairs. Her shoes were at the door so she quickly slid them on and was outside in no time.

She had no idea where she'd be walking; she randomly picked a direction and started. "It was just a dream," she kept telling herself. _But it was so vivid._ Damn. She hated that voice in the back of her head. The one that contradicted reason and rationality. "I'm not Rei-chan. I don't have prophetic dreams." _Then why did it seem so real? _"I don't know!" She hated this. Why couldn't things go back to how they'd once been. Maybe she never should have gone to college. Her dream was to be an idol. Not some scholar. She was majoring in theater. But did she really have to? Most people became actors because they got discovered or were lucky. She just didn't see how going to the University was going to help her in this cause.

She looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day. She couldn't see the sun. _Maybe it's a sign. _"Shut up," she told herself. "Now I'm just being paranoid." She looked down at her feet now regretting she hadn't worn pants instead of the denim shorts she chose. It was a little chilly. It was always hard accepting that the warm part of the year was drawing to an end and winter would be closing in. September was drawing to a close. Usually Minako was excited. Her birthday was in October. But she couldn't seem to get worked up about it this year.

"Minako-chan?" Her head snapped up and looked around for the owner of the voice that had called her name. "Hey," Jed said, putting his hand on her shoulder to let her know he was behind her. She turned and smiled. "What are you doing out here alone? I heard what happened yesterday. You shouldn't…"

"I'm not a child, Jed-san," she snapped, her smile gone completely. "Please don't treat me like one."

He seemed surprised. "I wasn't trying to do that. It's just a bad habit of mine. Now that we are on the same team, we have to look out for each other, you know?" He paused and took her in. She seemed… different. "Minako-chan, are you okay?"

She told herself to nod, to say yes. "No," she said.

"What's wrong?" He dropped his hand lower, touching her arm gently. She looked away. "I know you don't know me very well, and I also know because of Kenji-chan you don't trust us very much, but all of us are here for you now. We are here for all of you." He smiled encouragingly at her. "You can trust me, Minako-chan."

"I just had a bad dream," she said quietly, something barely above a whisper.

"Bad dream?" He looked at her pensively before glancing around at the people around them. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you dream about?"

"One of the Zodiac Senshi killed me," she summed up.

He didn't move for a second, only thought on her words. Nodding slowly, he said, "I can see how that would bother you. But, Minako-chan, it was just a dream. Dreams aren't real. And it's no wonder you had such a dream after being attacked last night. It was fresh on your mind before you went to sleep, and the mind does have a funny way of trying to scare you."

"As strong as the Constellation Warriors are, though, I don't see how this battle will end any other way. You and your friends may be able to defeat them easily, but mine cannot."

"My friends are your friends, too," he said softly. "And I think you underestimate your strength."

"Perhaps Zen-san and Norio-san may one day grow to be my friend. But… Kenji-san…" she trailed off.

"I know he's hard on you, Minako-chan. I mean, he's spoken about you so many times, even before I met you and even before we knew about the double life that you lead. It may seem like he's always on your case, always putting you down and making you feel stupid. He does that to us too when we screw up or do something that he doesn't approve of. That's just the way he is. But, he wouldn't treat you that way if he didn't expect more from you… if he didn't care about you. If he disliked you, he wouldn't even give you the time of day regardless of us being on the same team now."

She feebly listened to his words, barely taking any of them in. When it came to Kenji nobody could convince her otherwise; he despised her.

--

"So… they nearly defeated you?"

Mamoru and Usagi had arrived at Seiya's flat nearly half an hour ago. In that time, Setsuna and Hotaru began telling them about their battle with the Zodiacs. They made it as clear and concise as they could, sparing them the details so as not to worry them so much, but they could see the fear and uncertainty etched in their faces.

"Defeated?" Setsuna repeated, looking into Mamoru's blue eyes. "I think there should be another word for how thoroughly trounced we were."

"We would have died if they hadn't come to save us," Hotaru said, nodding in the direction of the three men who stood to the side of the room. "The Zodiacs retreated when they saw them. For some reason, it seems that are fearful of the Terran Warriors."

"Terran Warriors?" Usagi repeated, confused.

"It's a term used to define anybody who fights for Prince Endymion. The Shitennou would be classified as Terran Warriors, and now, after the conversion, so would they."

"What?" Mamoru asked, confused.

"It means," Yaten said, walking forward. "That we have given up being Sailor Senshi at the behest of our own princess. We were told to come to earth, find you, and pledge our loyalty to you. We have decided to become Terran Warriors, as they term it."

Usagi looked at them all with wide-eyes. When her stare found Seiya, she was surprised to see him staring back at her, his soft gaze the same as it had always been. Mamoru had seen it too. "I guess you are still their leader?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes leaving Usagi slowly. "I know that I have to follow the orders of the Shitennou. The four kings will always be your most trusted guardians. Our princess made that clear. But... if there is any way I can be of service to you... know that I'll gladly do my part."

Mamoru looked at Setsuna who nodded. "Well... I thank you for that." Still, he wondered why their princess would make them do such a thing. It didn't seem reasonable in the slightest... That would be like him asking the Shitennou to go and fight for somebody else. It just didn't make any sense to him.

"That's gracious of you," Chibi-Usa said to Seiya's words. She looked at her father and mother. "Is it fine if I stay here with them? As soon as Hotaru-chan and Setsuna-san are well, I'll return home. But I don't want to leave them until I know they are going to be okay."

Mamoru was about to say something until Michiru interjected. "We keep telling her that we are just fine, but she won't listen," she said, smiling sweetly. Usagi turned towards the doorway where Michiru and Haruka had just come through and shot to her feet. In an instant, they were both engulfed in her arms. They were surprised at first but their shock soon faded into a smile. "It is good to see you, too, Usagi-chan."

"I'm glad all of you are all right."

"We are too," Haruka said, rubbing one of the bandages on her arm. "They could have easily killed us. We were lucky."

Chibi-Usa turned back to look at Mamoru. "I had gone to find you and mom that night," she said. "It was a good thing that Seiya-san, Taiki-san, and Yaten-san were looking for you guys too or I never would have been able to find help for them."

Mamoru stared at his future daughter with awe. She'd grown so much since he'd last seen her. She was seventeen years old now, taller than Usagi, and extremely beautiful. Her hair was longer, falling to just below her bottom and her face was thinner, as was the rest of her body. She was a woman now. He was about to say as much until her comment really struck him. He turned to Seiya. "Why were you looking for us?"

He blinked. "Well, we intended to pledge our loyalty to you. Is that wrong?"

Mamoru didn't answer. He wasn't sure if he believe that. For a moment, the two men just stared at each other, their wills silently battling. It was clear now that Mamoru did not like Seiya being back in Usagi's life. That was to be expected. Still, the fact that Seiya was now one of his guardians did complicate things ever so slightly. "I suppose that will do," he muttered, looking away.

"Well, do we have to do this formally or could you pretty much gather that we have pledged loyalty to you?" Taiki asked. "There's no ceremony... is there?"

Setsuna laughed which caught Mamoru off guard. He answered, "I will consider your loyalty duly marked and I will hold the three of you to it."

"Then, it is time we start trying to figure out how best to deal with our little Constellation problem." Yaten said, sitting down next to Hotaru. "The Zodiacs are more powerful than ever. Right now we have the advantage that they are afraid of the Terran warriors. But soon that fear will wear off and they will charge at us with everything they have. They are not afraid to die for their cause. So... Mamoru-sama... what shall we do?"

"Are they really that strong?" Usagi interrupted.

"They defeated us easily," Haruka said, leaning against the wall. "And that was only four of them. If they all fought us... the twelve of them... we wouldn't stand a chance. It would be the end us."

Usagi turned to Mamoru. "This is bad," she said.

He nodded. "Yes… I know."


	9. Understanding the Enemy

**Tengoko: Sorry for the long wait. Trying to get everything in this chapter that had to be without making it seem... well, crowded. This chapter is longer than usual, but I put a fight in the end so there's some action. I would like to thank smcandy for helping me with some of the attacks and weapons. Well, read and enjoy. Please review.**

**Rated M **

**Chapter 9: Understanding the Enemy**

--

"What are you doing?" Rei asked, laying down in her bed and holding her stuffed teddy bear beneath her chin. Her violet eyes looked over at her friend and roommate as she typed away on her small, blue computer that bore the sign of Mercury. Rei admired her dedication, but Ami hadn't given it a rest in quiet a few hours now. "I think if you haven't found anything by now, it's not going to just suddenly pop up." She ignored Ami's glare and rolled onto her back. "I think we should go out tonight. I know you don't do the club scene, but I think you should give it a shot. Maybe you can invite Zen-san. You can dress all nice and pretty and make him want you."

Ami laughed. "Rei-chan, Zen-san's and my relationship is not based on physical attraction," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh admit it," Rei huffed, sitting up. "You think he's gorgeous, don't you?" Ami didn't answer. "I mean, he is very hot. I think so. Blonde hair, green eyes, that devil-may-care way about him. Oh, and his smile… those dimples. A girl would have to be dumb if they didn't think he was a hottie."

Ami was blushing furiously now. "Are you falling in love with my boyfriend?" Ami teased.

Rei's eyes grew wide. "You are going out with him! I knew it!" She got to her feet and ran to sit next to Ami. "When did he ask you out?"

"Actually, _I _asked_ him_ out," Ami said, setting her computer down. "Right after you and Mako-chan left the car, we had a short discussion. I told him that I liked him a lot and wanted to be his girlfriend. He said that he wanted me to be his girlfriend, too. He told me that we were going to compromise and do what we both wanted."

"Ah, he's a funny guy, too," Rei said, leaning back. "You're a lucky girl, Ami-chan. Lots of women will soon be looking at you with envy."

She shrugged. "I don't think so."

Rei looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Jed-san is an attractive man, too," she said softly. "He's got the most interesting blue eyes. And he seems to be fond of me. We actually have a small battle of wills going on in his class. I look forward to doing his assignments so I can try to ruffle his feathers, and he tells me he enjoys reading them because they aren't like anybody else's. I'm the only one he gives A's to, anyway."

"It's obvious," Makoto said, walking into their dorm and catching the last bit of the conversation. She sat on Rei's bed and looked her straight in her eye. "He wants to sleep with you."

Rei laughed and said, "that would be fine with me."

"Rei-chan!" Ami gasped.

"I'm only joking, Ami-chan." Rei turned her attention back to Makoto. "I'm trying to convince Ami to go to the club with me tonight. Would you like in on this?"

"I actually came to talk to you guys because I just got off the phone with Minako-chan. She was attacked last night by Sailor Libra. She's fine, she's fine," she added quickly, seeing concern fast take over her friends. "Norio-san and Kenji-san arrived and prevented anything bad from happening. Still, what she told me about Sailor Libra concerns me."

"They are strong, aren't they?" Ami asked.

"Minako-chan said that she didn't even stand a chance."

"Then how...?"

"She said that Libra was going to kill her. That she was seconds away from death. Well, you know how Minako-chan exaggerates, so at first I took that with a grain of salt. But then she started crying and telling me how she really thought it was the end. How she wondered who would find her and if she'd get to tell people good-bye. Guys... Minako-chan really thought she was going to die last night. But then Nephrite and Kunzite arrived. She said Nephrite fought her away and Kunzite protected her. Kunzite scared Libra off, but she threatened to kill Minako before she disappeared. This is bad... if Minako can't one of them one on one... how are we going to face twelve?"

"Well... between us and the Shitennou, there are ten of us," Rei pointed out, hoping that would help. But hearing Makoto describe Minako's reaction worried her. She felt like calling her friend right now, but Minako didn't pick up her phone when she was at her mother's house anymore.

"I would imagine we'd be nothing more than a handicap to them," Ami said. "There stronger than we are... How is it that the the Shitennou were able to fight them off. Does that mean that they are stronger than us?"

"Well, technically," Rei began, "we still could be stronger as far as power goes. But remember, it did take the five of us to defeat Kunzite when he served Queen Beryl. It took a Sailor Planet Attack. He's not exactly a weak man. And though we were able to defeat the others, keep in mind that Jadeite and Zoisite were killed in surprise attacks basically when they'd dropped their guard and Nephrite was killed by Jupiter, and you're attacks aren't exactly weak either. It is also possible that they grew stronger in this time, just like we have. But, let's face it... physically, they've got us beat."

"I called Usagi-chan to tell her about it. She said she already knew. She also said that if we wanted to know more we should go to Seiya-chan because, apparently, the Outer Senshi were attacked by some of the Zodiac Senshi, too, and they are staying with him."

Ami stood up. "Well, Rei, I guess we'll have to talk about going to the club later. We should all go and talk to…" she trailed off when her cell phone started ringing. She answered it and said, "Hello, Zen-san."

Rei and Makoto sat up straighter making no attempt to at least appear like they weren't listening. "You want to meet right now?" Ami asked, looking up at them. "No. It's not that I don't want to, it's just, we were going to go and see some friends who have fought the Zodiac Senshi."

"Go with him," Rei said, smiling. "Mako-chan and I can go and talk with them."

"Hold on, Zen-chan," Ami said, putting her hand over the receiver. "Are you sure, Rei-chan? I would feel bad making you guys go and do the work."

"Come on. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't make you go with him? Now, why don't you put on that pretty blue dress you have, put on some blush and lip gloss, and go and see him? And, if he kisses you, you be sure to tell me all about it when we get back."

Ami blushed and moved her hand. "All right, Zen-chan. I'll need about ten minutes to be ready, so just call me when you get here." He said a few words. Rei and Makoto wished they could hear them. They wondered what he could have said to make Ami's face turn redder. "All right. See you soon," she said, and then hung up. "Thank you, Rei-chan."

"No problem. Now, let's go, Mako-chan. I want to get this over with so we can discuss going out later."

--

Minako drearily poked the roast chicken on her plate with her fork. She vaguely listened to her mother lecturing her about… oh, something or other. The point was, it was about the hundredth time that her mother had found something to nag her about. First it was coming home late that morning. Minako didn't understand that. Coming home late? How the hell could she come home late if she didn't even have a curfew? Honestly?

Then it was about the shirt she was wearing. Apparently, it showed too much cleavage. Never mind that the collar was well above her clavicle. Now it happened to be about school. Her mother asked her how classes were going, and Minako told her the truth. English was going well, in Math she'd probably average about a 'B' minus, Theater was a sure 'A', and in Physics… well, she was probably failing. That's when her mother exploded. Now she wished she'd lied.

Damn Kenji for being so unreasonable. She really had worked hard on the project. She'd never been good at the damned subject, but she was required to take a science, and decided she'd take it with Ami last semester. She failed. Her mother told her to take it again to get the grade replaced so that the 'F' would not stand. She heard that Dr. Yukio was the best, that it was impossible to fail his class. That's why Makoto, Usagi, and Minako all signed up for it. They were not expecting an assistant like Yamamoto-san.

"Well, there are still two and a half months until the end of the semester. You are not to go out and celebrate your birthday. You are to study every night, and I will be calling you to make sure that you do that. You are to go to class and then go straight to your dorm everyday. Do you understand me young lady?"

Minako frowned. "And here I thought going to a University was about learning to be an adult and gaining independence from overbearing parents."

"Don't you dare, Minako!" her mother shouted. "I have been patient with you."

"This is patience? I'd hate to see you annoyed?"

"Kindly remember who is paying for you to go to school."

"And I'm grateful, mother. I really am. But you need to let me make my own mistakes and try to fix them my own way. You aren't there. You don't see that I am trying. Nobody sees that. But you, of all people, should be the most understanding. I'm working my ass off to pass physics. It's not my fault my teacher doesn't like me. And, if you'd have just let me take another science instead of trying to replace the grade, I'd have been just fine. You need to let me live my own life."

"I would, Minako. But I'm not convinced you are responsible enough to make the right choices. You haven't grown up the way your friends have. It's okay to have fun and be with your friends, but you don't know how to divide your time between things that are important, and things that are unimportant."

"So… now my friends are unimportant."

"That's not what your mother said." Minako glared at her father. Always picking the wrong times to jump into a conversation.

"I'm going back to the dorms," Minako said, standing up.

"No you are not, young lady."

"I'd have left early in the morning anyway. What's the big deal if I leave a few hours early?" She didn't wait for the answer. She went straight upstairs, grabbed her purse, told Artemis she was going back to school, and then quickly ran back downstairs and out the door. Her mother was there, but she didn't even try to stop her.

--

Rei silently took a sip of her tea and then set it back down on the table. Across from her, Setsuna sat with her laptop out in front of her, typing and take notes as Makoto told her what Minako had told her about Sailor Libra. Next to her, Chibi-Usa watched her fingers fly across the keyboard in awe. Hotaru was busy heating up more water for the tea, and Yaten had taken it upon himself to help her. Taiki sat next to Makoto, his ankle crossed at his knee as he was examining the bottom of his hair. Seiya stood by the French door, looking out at the sky. Michiru and Haruka were hanging on Makoto's every word.

"We are very lucky that Kunzite decided to protect you all," Setsuna said when Makoto finished.

"Doesn't he have to? I mean, that's what Mamoru-san wants, right?" Rei asked.

"Kunzite is bound by his own oath to protect Mamoru-san and his men. He, however, is not bound to protect the senshi. Mamoru can ask him to, but in the end, the Shitennou decide on their own whether or not to protect those who fight for the moon kingdom. Long ago, in the time of the Silver Millennium, Endymion-sama asked them all to protect the princess. They were afraid it would go against the king's wishes, so they never bound themselves to that duty. They were always allowed to refuse orders that they didn't believe were made in good judgment."

"So, what you are saying," Makoto began, "is that they have decided that they want to be our allies?"

"I believe they are binding themselves to your protection, yes," Setsuna answered. "They don't remember that they betrayed their prince. They don't remember that they fought you. But, they know that something happened that set them against the one they swore to protect. I think this time around, they are going to do everything they can to ensure that they make up for their past."

"How can we be sure they won't betray us again?" Rei asked.

"They won't," Chibi-Usa said, smiling. "They are in the future. They serve as guardians to Crystal Tokyo. They can't betray you if Beryl and Metalia are dead. You all freed them of their curse when Usagi killed both of them. And as long as you don't give up on them, you can count on the power of love and friendship."

As bubblegum sweet as that sounded, Rei seemed convinced now. Now she could indulge her little school-girl crush. Just thinking about Jed made her feel warm inside. She actually didn't know why. They would never work out. She was too strong willed and he was too stubborn. Rei didn't think she could last in a relationship where she wasn't in charge, and she wasn't entirely sure that Jed was the type who'd relinquish control.

"Rei-chan, are you with us?" Yaten asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry. My mind went somewhere else," she admitted.

"Would that somewhere else happen to include blue eyes and blonde hair?" Makoto asked, smiling.

"As a matter of fact…"

"Great," Yaten said, throwing his hands up. "We are here talking about a war, and Rei-chan is thinking about some guy?"

"Yeah, Rei-chan," Hotaru said, setting tea in front of her. "You should know better." Then under her breath. "Which one is it? I'll bet he's really cute for him to catch _your _attention."

Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Makoto laughed. Even Setsuna and Michiru smiled. Haruka frowned. "This is not a time to be joking around, Hotaru-chan," she said. "You of all people feel it. All of us are about to lose something dear to us."

Hotaru stood up straight, her eyebrows furrowing. "Nothing is set in stone, Haruka-san. _You_ of all people know _that_. If it were, most of the people in this room would be dead. Besides, even if you are right, why should we not enjoy these happy times right now? You're always such a pessimist."

"I have a question," Makoto said, jumping in before Haruka could respond. "How come Minako-chan's powers had no effect on Sailor Libra but Kunzite-sama could beat her?"

"Well," Setsuna started, "the Zodiac Senshi are more of the physical type. Meaning, they rely on their strength more than their powers. Power against power, the Zodiacs are stronger than the Terran Warriors with the exception of perhaps Nephrite and Kunzite. But, strength against strength, they are the strongest. That's why they are essential in this fight. They are the only ones who could possibly match the top ranked Zodiacs."

"What happens if they start relying on their power, though?" Rei asked.

"Let us all hope it doesn't come to that," Setsuna said, taking a sip of tea and looking out the window at the clouds that were beginning to roll in.

--

"Well, that was a waste of time," Rei said, getting out of her car and putting her keys in her purse. "We didn't learn anything in person that we couldn't have learned over the phone. And, on top of that, I don't like the idea of not being able to beat them without the help of the Terran people."

"It was not a waste of time," Makoto said. "We got to see Seiya-san, Yaten-san and Taiki-san. Not to mention the girls. We haven't seen them in a long time. So, look at it like we were visiting them and not so much like we were convening about a battle."

Rei was about to speak. She had the words on the tip of her tongue. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground. She only had enough time to put her arms up to protect her face from hitting the sidewalk. Makoto turned to hear what Rei had to say only to see a bright flash of light coming at them. She was hit by it, too, but she hit the ground with her back rather than face first like Rei. She sat up the second she hit and saw two women standing in front of her.

They were very beautiful. The taller one had long, wavy brown hair that was bound near the bottom by a large red band. Her boots were deep red with a lighter rose color that snaked in a chaotic pattern. Her gloves and her fuku followed the same color scheme. However, her fuku was more like something one would find at Victoria Secret: a camisole like outfit that was solid at her breasts, but fell lose and was transparent around her midsection. She did not wear a skirt... Instead she wore black pants. Around her neck was a black choker and her earings were large hoops. She held a large, bronze pole axe at her side, and her circlet had the sign of Virgo engraved on it.

Beside her stood a very short woman with pixie style brown hair. She had longer strands that framed her face, and at the tips, they were light blue. Her dark boots didn't even pass her ankles. The dress she wore came down on one side in waves but was cropped up around her waist on the other side. The belt around her waist was white and had a silver buckle that had the sign of Pisces. She wore a silver chain around her neck that had a sapphire broach attached to it. Her earings matched. With a smug smile, and her blue eyes sparkling with glee, she said in a child-like voice, "Did the little Sailor Senshi fall down?" She leaned on her trident and looked back at Virgo.

"Screw you!" Rei shouted, getting to her feet. "You attacked us from the back like cowards!"

"Rei-chan, your pen. Transform, now!" Makoto shouted. "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!" Lightning surrounded her body as she commenced her typical transformation. Rei followed, fire swirling around her.

"I think that means they are ready to fight." She stepped forward and said, "The master of wit and the guardian of the innocent, the child of the Virgin, the great purifier, guarded by the constellation Virgo, favored by the god, Hermes. The eleventh of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Virgo… has arrived."

"The master of water and the guardian of the depressed, the child of the fish," the other one began, "the graceful wave, guarded by the constellation Pisces, favored by the god, Poseidon. The twelfth of the legendary Constellation Warriors, the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Pisces… has arrived."

"Yeah? Well, I'm Sailor Mars, and I control fire, protected by the planet Mars. And in the name of Mars, I will punish you!" She loved when she had the chance to say stuff like that. It made her feel important. She always wondered if that's how Usagi felt every time she made her little speech.

"And I'm Sailor Jupiter, and I control lightning and earth, protected by the planet Jupiter. I will also punish you in the name of Jupiter!"

Pisces laughed. "How cute. They're trying to sound as important as we are."

"Get real," Mars shouted. "We've had introductions long before we met you. Don't think we rolled out the red carpet just for you!" She ran forward and poised herself to attack. "Mars Flame Sniper!" She shot the flame arrow at Virgo.

"Pathetic," Pisces said, flipping her rod up and shooting a stream of water to douse the flames.

"Let me try," Jupiter said. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" She spun around, sending razor sharp leaves at the two Zodiac Warriors. She stopped spinning in time to see Virgo swing her axe over and over, so quickly it looked like a blur. "No way! She blocked my attack!"

"Is it our turn now?" Virgo asked, raising her weapon. "Pray that Vulcan's Axe has more mercy than I. Virgo," she kissed the blade before lifting it up, "Chaste Kiss!" She swung the axe sending a bright, orange light at them. It circled both of their torsos before constricting around them, catching their arms and pinning them against their bodies. They struggled against it, but the light held more securely than any rope or chain. "Try as you might. It'll just keep getting tighter until it suffocates you."

"Damn it," Jupiter cursed, falling to the ground.

"I shall end your suffering," Pisces said, holding her trident in front of her. "I shall start with the red one!"

"Sailor Mars!" she shouted at her. "My name is Sailor Mars! Or are you too dense to remember it?"

"Yes, I shall kill her first." She swung her leg back and brought her trident back, twirling it expertly. "Turblent Tsunami!" she screamed as a large amount of water gathered around her spinning weapon. She thrust it forward, sending it flying toward Mars.

"Venus, Love-Me Chain!"

Mars gasped when a familiar golden chain wrapped around body and pulled her out of the way of the attack. She landed with a hard thud on the ground, but was grateful it was the ground and not the attack.

"Sailor Venus!" Jupiter shouted happily.

Venus walked in front of Jupiter and said, "release my friends now!"

"I don't think we will," Pisces replied, getting ready to attack again.

Venus wasn't having any of that. Racing forward, she tackled Sailor Pisces to the ground, her fist quickly finding the short warriors jaw. Her left fist hooked the other side in what was to be the beginning of a short-lived flurry of punches. She felt fingers dig into her hair and yank her up. She reacted by elbowing whoever was behind her, and then turned around and slapped Virgo across the cheek.

Her brief period of dominance was brought to an end the second Pisces threw her trident over Venus' head and pulled it back against her throat, choking her. Virgo regained her stature and then punched Venus in the stomach.

"You must be the leader," she said, taking a deep breath and fixing her hair. She put her blade against her cheek and pressed just hard enough to draw blood. She would have cried out if she could breathe. Virgo laughed derisively

"Let her go." Venus was pulled back suddenly.

Venus' face was red now, her eyes were watering. In front of her, she saw Virgo hit the ground, and a tall blonde man took her place. "Let them all go," he said, pointing his sword at the warrior.

Venus was thrown to the pavement, gasping for the air she'd been denied for a full minute. Behind her, she heard a small shuffle before she heard Pisces shout, "Let's get out of here!" More footsteps, and then they were gone.

"Sailor Venus?" She felt strong hands on her shoulders before she was engulfed by warmth. She looked up and found herself staring into beautiful, crystal green eyes. Was she really being held by him? His hand moved to her neck, her fingers brushing against the red spot that she couldn't see but made her wince anyway. "Are you all right?" She didn't answer at first, and she could see that he was holding his breath waiting for her answer. His fingers went to her cheek where she was sure the cut wasn't as bad as it felt. She felt him shake her slightly and he asked again, this time a little more urgently. "Venus! Minako-san... are you hurt?"

"Only a little," she coughed, surprised at how weak and raspy her voice sounded. "The girls? Are they all right?"

"We're fine," Mars said, leaning against Jadeite for support. She rubbed her arm where the orange band had cut into her skin.

"Glad you're all right, sweet heart," Jadeite said, smiling at her before turning his attention to Rei.

"You could have handled that a little better, don't you think?" Kunzite asked, helping her stand up. "Start thinking about the consequences of your actions so that you won't end up in situations like that. What would have happened if Jadeite and I hadn't come? You could have died."

"Kunzite, please don't lecture me today. I'm not in the mood." She backed away from him, immediately missing the warmth that he had given her. She walked up to Makoto. "I'll be up in the room. I really need to take a nap."

Kunzite watched her leave, confusion in his eyes. "Is she always so… um…"

"Moody?" Jupiter filled in for him.

"Moody seems like the right word," Jadeite said.

"No… not usually, actually," Mars said, watching their friend disappear into the dorms. "She's not like that at all."


	10. Miles Away

**Tengoko: I know that it has been too long since I've updated this story. However, as of now, the previous chapters have all been edited for grammar and spelling mistakes. I have also modified the descriptions of the Zodiac Senshi. I have posted new art work on my Deviant Art account of the Zodiacs so if you want to see them you can find the link on my main profile page. I shall try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. This chapter was a little hard to get going for some reason. Hopefully the coming chapters will come to me a lot easier. Well, I won't take up anymore of your time with Author's Notes except to request that you please review. Thank you and enjoy!**

**Rated M**

**Chapter 10: Miles Away**

**--**

Minako wished whoever was knocking on the door would just go away. At first she'd tried to bury her head under her pillow to drown out the noise, but the person was persistent. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She didn't want to get up. She looked at the clock. She had three hours before she had to go to Physics. Why couldn't whoever was at the door just let her sleep? With a groan, she forced herself to sit up and walked over to the door. She yanked it open and was about to yell at the person on the other side until she realized it was Usagi.

"It's about time you opened the door," Usagi said, walking in with bags of food. "I'm going to have to microwave our lunch. It got a little cold." She walked over to the microwave and ignored the confused look on Minako's face. "I got you the chicken sandwich… Hope that's okay."

Minako's head was spinning. She closed the door and sat on the end of her bed. "Usagi-chan… uh…" She paused and looked at the bags of food just as her stomach growled. "Yeah… the chicken sandwich is fine. But you didn't have to… What exactly are you doing here, Usagi-chan?" She doubted this was a spontaneous meeting. Earlier that morning, Makoto had tried to get her out of bed to get some fresh air, and before then, Rei had been calling her non-stop asking if she wanted to go out for the weekend. They were trying to cheer her up, and she knew it. The fact that it irritated her was a surprise to her. She didn't know why she didn't want to be bothered right now, but she really just hated feeling like everybody was tip-toeing around her as though she was going to break.

"Well, I was on campus and I have some time to kill before Physics. So, I thought I could come over here and hang out with you and Mako-chan, and then we could all go together. Mako-chan isn't here though. I don't know what I'm going to do with her food…" she said thoughtfully, as though she was considering the prospect of eating it herself. That probably wasn't too far off the mark. Minako actually smiled knowing that her friend would see nothing wrong with eating two meals in one sitting. Hell, Minako wasn't the type to turn down food either. At least, not usually.

"I also heard about what happened yesterday." Minako groaned inwardly. She had dared to hope for a second that Usagi had come for the reason she'd stated: because she had time to kill. It was because she was worried about her, and that made Minako feel like crap. "I came to make sure you were okay. That's a nasty cut there," Usagi said, sitting down next to her and titling her head as though doing that would make it easier to see. "Does it hurt?"

"No… it feels like sunshine and gum drops," Minako said sarcastically. That surprised her. Minako hated when people were sarcastic with her, so why would she be sarcastic with Usagi? "I'm sorry…" she said sincerely. "I don't know what came over me. No, it doesn't hurt too much. Just stings a little." She put her finger over the mark and cursed under her breath. She remembered when Kunzite had been examining it. He had seemed so worried about her then. Of course, Minako knew better. Kunzite didn't care. He made that clear more than once.

Usagi nodded and looked down at her pink converse shoes. Minako was starting to admire them. She wondered where she could get a pair of shoes like that. "Minako-chan." Minako looked up at her, waiting for her to say something else. But Usagi seemed lost in her own thoughts. That, or she was trying to find the right words to say.

"Yes, Usagi-chan?"

"Are you okay? I don't mean from the attack. But just in general. You don't smile as much as you used to smile. And you don't laugh either. Is there something wrong?"

Minako didn't know what to tell her. Yes. Something was wrong. Everything seemed to be going wrong. But she didn't want Usagi to worry about her. "I've just hit a rough patch in the semester. It's nothing I can't handle on my own," she said. Well, at least it was a little true. Actually, the truth was… Minako didn't know what the truth was. She could imagine that she was starting to get on people's nerves with this new attitude she seemed to have. But it's not like she liked acting this way. She, more than anybody, wanted to figure out why she was so miserable all the damn time so she could figure out how not to be miserable. "Usagi-chan… I… I don't know what's wrong with me. It sounds so stupid, doesn't it? To be sad for no reason at all." She felt a tear fall down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away. "I'm being a drama queen. I'm sorry…"

Usagi's eyes widened when she saw her tear and she reached out to hug her. Minako's reaction was instantaneous; she burst into tears. "Nobody thinks you're being a drama queen. And nobody thinks it's stupid," Usagi said.

"Your husband does," Minako pointed out.

Usagi frowned. "Well, he doesn't count."

"Kenji-san does."

Usagi glared at her. "He definitely doesn't count."

Oh, but he did. God, why did he? Minako had been trying to figure this out for days now. Why was it so important that she have his approval? At first, it hadn't mattered, but ever since he and Nephrite had rescued her from Sailor Libra, she couldn't stop thinking about him. What could she do to prove that she was just as good as he was? That she was just as capable of leading them as he was? When had she strayed from being dependable and strong to insecure and unreliable? She just wanted him to say that she was doing a good job. That she was getting better. If she could get him to say it, then she knew it would be true.

"Minako-chan…" Usagi began, rubbing her back gently. "I think you are the only person who doesn't see how much you mean to us. We're all worried about you. We just want you to be happy."

Happy? She wanted to be happy, too. Really, who _chose_ to be miserable? "I am happy, Usagi-chan," she lied, putting on the same smile she used to fool the world. It, however, did not convince Usagi.

--

The sound of screams had been echoing from the hallway that led to the cellar. For three hours, their comrade in arms had been wailing, moaning in pain. None of them felt sorry for her. She got what she deserved. The nerve of her going against orders just to get a taste of battle. Did she think she was the only one who longed for the fight? Did she really think that the others who had not appeared to the senshi weren't counting down the days for their time to have a go? She deserved worse that whatever punishment Taurus was doling out to her.

The youngest of the Zodiac Senshi sat against the wall cracking her knuckles slowly. Her blue eyes stared at the women sitting at the table across the room. They had all settled into this house in the country where the nearest neighbor was more than a mile away. They hadn't furnished it aside from a few chairs and tables. They slept on the floor; they had no use for beds. Nothing that suggested permanence. They even refused to adopt civilian names. They had one name: the names they carried with them for over a millennium. They had no reason to invent Earth, or Terran, names as they had no intention on remaining here for long.

Pisces rose slowly to her feet, brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear. Aside from the two long strands that framed her face, her hair was very short and brown. The strands were colored a light blue. Slowly, she approached the table and ignored the glares that the others shot her way. She knew why they were condemning her. She had failed to kill Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars. She had been overpowered by Sailor Venus. It never should have happened and she deserved to be punished.

Capricorn was the first to look away and went back to reading her book. She was the seventh of the Zodiac Senshi, the little sister of Sailor Scorpio. Her hair was short and raven black and her eyes were a deep violet color. Unlike her sister, her skin was fair. Yet, her eyes held the same intensity as Scorpio's. "Relax, Pisces. Leo has been in a generous mood as of late. Perhaps she will look upon your failure with mercy and sympathy. At any rate, even if she chooses to punish you, be comforted by the fact that it won't nearly be so bad as what Libra is getting."

"Libra is getting off light," Gemini hissed, continuing to sharpen one of her katanas. "If it were up to me, she'd—"

"But it's not up to you, is it?" Capricorn cut in, not even looking up from her book.

The blonde warrior set her katana down on the table and glared. Her green eyes seemed to flash with anger, but when it seemed Capricorn was going to go on ignoring her, she merely picked up her sword again and continued to sharpen it. Gemini did not like being ignored; that was no secret to any of the Zodiac Senshi. Many of them actually took advantage of this fact and ignored her on purpose. Capricon was the only one of them that did that without fully meaning to, and that is why Cancer found it so amusing.

The red-head sitting next to Gemini laughed. This seemed to gain the attention of the other woman sitting next to Capricorn. "What is so funny?" asked the platinum blonde. Aquarius was always the curious one, having to know what was going on with everybody. However, in retrospect, she probably should have addressed the sixth of the Zodiacs with more respect than that.

Cancer didn't seem to mind and her blue eyes twinkled with fiendish delight. "I never thought I'd see the day when Gemini would be at a loss for words." She put her hand over her shoulder. "What bothered you more? That you were ignored or that you were interrupted? I'm dying to know."

Gemini clenched her teeth together to keep from arguing with her. This prompted Aquarius to laugh along with Cancer who laughed even harder. "I guess all things are possible. Though, you know the reason. Would she really have bit her tongue had Virgo or Pisces told her the same thing?"

"I think not," Cancer said. "I think that Gemini is too intimidated by Capricorn's rank to actually tell her off. But Virgo and Pisces are below her… It is a matter of ranking, is it not?"

"Of course it's a matter of ranking!" Gemini yelled. "Her tone was clear: I was to let the subject drop. However, you two prats refuse to let me fume in silence."

Pisces was glad that the conversation was on Gemini now and not on her. She silently thought the whole dialogue was pointless. Even if Gemini would snap at Virgo or her, they would never mouth off to one that out-ranked them, even if it was merely by one or two ranks. Pisces personally hated angering the tenth of the Zodiac Warriors because Gemini tended to be hard to reason with when she was furious.

Libra screamed again and Pisces felt her blood run cold. For her failure, it was possible that soon, she would be the one screaming. She shuddered at the thought and felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. Cancer must have realized this because she kicked out a chair and ordered her to sit. "Where is Virgo?" she asked. "Hiding from Leo, I presume?" She said it as a joke, but Pisces didn't find anything funny about it.

She shook her head. "No. She told me she wanted to take a nap. She said that if she was to be tortured later for the failure, she at least wanted to be well rested."

This made them all laugh. Even Capricorn, who had seemed lost in her book, found it amusing. "Are you sure it was that?" she asked. "Or is it possible that Sailor Venus just wore her out?"

"Dear God! Doth my ears deceive me?" Cancer asked, feigning a look of shock. "Aquarius! Make not of this event! Capricorn made a joke."

Aquarius laughed and put her hand on Capricorn's shoulder. "Are you all right? Do you need to lie down? Ones first joke can often be exhausting."

Capricorn looked up from her book and into the pale blue eyes of Aquarius. "No. I think I'm all right. Of course, I shall remember to go light. I think I'll cut myself off for the day until I know I can handle more than one joke."

Gemini rolled her eyes, refusing to join in on the raucous laughter, and set her sword down again. She looked at Pisces who looked as though she might be sick to her stomach. "I don't think Leo will torture you two," she assured her. "You were outnumbered five to one. Two of the Terran warriors had come to their aid. Retreat was the only option."

Cancer agreed. "And retreat is not always cowardly, Pisces. Leo knows this better than we all do."

"What does Leo know better?" The five women turned to look at the front door just as three women crossed over the threshold. The tall blonde stood and looked at Pisces with some degree of confusion. "Why are you back? Were you quick to complete the mission I assigned to you?"

Pisces rose from her chair and shook her head, careful not to meet her leader's blue eyes. "I am sorry, your grace. Virgo and I had them. We were so close to killing Mars and Jupiter. But then the snotty little blonde showed up… Venus. And we were going to get her, too. She was nothing but a mere distraction. What changed the tide of the battle was the arrival of the Terran Warriors. I apologize for my failure, Leo... I will understand if you wish to punish me for it."

Leo exchanged glances with Scorpio before looking back at the young girl. "Though I understand the reason behind your failure, it cannot be taken lightly. You were given orders to dispatch Sailor Jupiter and you failed. For this you will pay a price. But not to worry… I shall have Taurus go easy on you and Virgo."

Cancer stood up and put her hand on Pisces' shoulder to comfort her. "Leo… what is the plan now? Obviously we cannot individually take on the Terran Warriors. Perhaps it is time for a join attack?"

"It is too soon to say." Leo walked passed them towards the hallway. "We shall discuss this now. Scorpio… Aries… come with me."

The two women that had been standing beside her nodded and followed her down the hall. The door at the end led into a dark bedroom that was furnished only with a small, round table and four chairs. This was the meeting room of the four top-ranking Zodiac Senshi. Leo was the first to sit, turning the chair backwards to lean her arms across the back of it. Scorpio sat gracefully, crossing her legs at the ankle and setting her Tarot cards down on the table. Aries removed her red cloak and hung it over her chair before sitting.

"What do you propose we do?" Leo asked Scorpio.

"Cancer was right. It is nearing the time when we must all fight together." It sounded easier than it was. The lower ranking senshi all had different styles. Some of them did not compliment the others. The Zodiacs were not a team, as some might think. They never referred to themselves as such. They all had their own ways of fighting, their own ways of conducting battles. For so long, they'd fought on their own, rarely ever calling upon the aid of the other Zodiacs. When they did fight as one, it was after careful planning on the part of the top ranking Zodiacs to ensure that they all did so seamlessly.

"The Terran Warriors are the only obstacles standing in our way," Aries pointed out. "And it seems that they hold the cards right now. We cannot hope to defeat the Senshi while the Terrans are still alive. The solution is simple. These Terrans are weak because they are driven by their emotions. It is simply a matter of finding what matters to them. What they care about most. Obviously, they care about the senshi or they wouldn't bother defending them. But I think we can do one better than that. If we could find out what matters to them, who matters to them… we could use them against them, weakening them. That would be the time to strike."

Leo nodded. She liked the idea immensely. Of course, it would mean having to blend in with these pathetic Earth dwellers. She shuddered at the idea of wearing what they dared call clothes. "Perhaps we can assign Gemini to that task. Cancer could help her if it comes down to it."

"I think they would enjoy that," Scorpio said with a smirk. "They've been yearning to be useful."

"Meanwhile," Aries began, leaning against the table, "I think it is time that we remind the Outer Senshi that they are no match for us. We nearly killed them the last time. I think if given the chance, we could eliminate them from this battle before it has even begun."

Leo stood up and smiled. "I shall leave that in your capable hands, Aries. I, however, will not be able to join you three during this next attack. I have a little dissenter who needs some seeing to." She, of course, was referring to Libra. The rebelliousness on her part was no surprise. Libra was always the one who defied Leo on some occasions. But in this instance, Leo was having none of it. "I shall relieve Taurus. You three can then work out a plan." With that, she left the room and started towards the cellar. As she opened the door, the loud scream of Libra sounded through the entire house. It was a good thing the nearest neighbor was more than a mile away.


	11. Don't Speak

**Tengoko: Speedy update. Hope this is the beginning of a new trend for me. Well, there is finally a little action in the chapter, which actually makes me a little nervous. I get more worried about writing battle scenes than I do about any thing else. Also, for those craving a little more Kunzite, Merry Christmas. :) Well, enjoy the chapter and please review. I'd really love to hear your feedback on this chapter.  
**

**Rated M**

**Chapter 11: Don't Speak**

**--**

Three nights in a row he had dreamed of her. Slowly, he opened his crystal green eyes and stared up at the ceiling. The air was cool yet his body seemed drenched. He threw his sheets off to try to let the cold hit his skin because the heat on his body was becoming too much to bear. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. The images flooded his mind. The dreams he'd had over and over again. Her cornflower eyes, hair that reminded him of spun gold, the way she felt in his arms. She always looked at him with an expression of innocence. But his dreams were far from innocent.

He sat up and looked at his clock: 4 a.m. He had to wake up in three hours. So much for getting a good night's rest. Standing up, he slowly walked to the bathroom and flipped on the bright light. He looked at himself in the mirror. "Come on, Kenji, get a hold of yourself," he said. What had come over him? He was the leader of the Shitennou. Self-control was something he always prided himself on. But that day that she'd grabbed his hand he couldn't get her off of his mind. "Jesus! She just grabbed your hand! It's not like she made out with you. Get over it!"

So, yes. It annoyed him that he didn't know why he had developed this infatuation with his least favorite student. Well, it was a stretch to call her that. He never really disliked Minako. It just annoyed him to see somebody like her take for granted that she could pass a class without putting forth an effort. She slept in his class for God's sake! What did she expect him to do? Pat her on the back and give her a passing grade?

Turning from the mirror, he reached into his shower and turned on the hot water. Okay… it was only an infatuation. It would pass. It had to pass. He wasn't going to be like Zen and move in on his own student. Well, technically, she wasn't _his_ student. And Zen and Ami seemed to be getting along pretty well. Maybe it wasn't such a bad… Yes! Yes it was. "She doesn't even like me," he reasoned with himself. That much was true. Yet, he couldn't help but smile when he pictured the petite woman throwing papers at him and pounding on his desk.

He stepped into the shower and let the warm water soak his hair and run down the front of his body. He rubbed his face and then looked up at the showerhead. One of his dreams had taken place right here. He groaned. He really needed to stop thinking about her. Minako was going to be the end of him.

That might not be far from the truth. The attack by Virgo and Pisces and disturbed him more than it should have. And the disturbing part occurred only after the two Zodiacs had fled. It was when he'd gone to check on Minako. At first he thought she would answer him and would tell him indignantly that she was fine before pushing him away. But all she did was look at him. The mark on her neck and the cut on her face had made his blood boil with fury. He wanted to kill who had done that to her. But his heart had started to pound wildly. She hadn't answered him. It wasn't until he asked if she was all right again that she did.

What disturbed him was how worried he had been. He had never felt so scared for a person in his life. And then when she just walked away, he'd never felt so rejected.

"Damn it," he said. Not even the shower was calming him down. He turned off the water and reached out to grab his towel, wrapping it around his waist as he stepped out. Walking back to his bed, he sat and looked down at the floor. His thoughts were on what Sailor Mars had told him. That she usually was never so moody… or sad. Was it his fault? Was it because he showed up one day and suddenly she has to share this position with him? The more he thought about it, the more he decided that was the reason. And knowing that she was no longer smiling because of him made him feel more miserable than he would care to admit.

--

"Slow down, Hotaru-chan. There's no need to hurry." Setsuna looked over her brown paper bag that was filled with an array of foods. The plan was to cook Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten a thank you dinner for all that they had done for them. After all, the Outer Senshi would be dead if not for the intervention of the newest Terran Warriors. It had actually been Hotaru's idea to cook for them and after she got Michiru on her side, there was no denying the girl. "Are we going to stop by the bakery or do you want to bake the cake yourself?"

Hotaru stopped and turned around excitedly, the smile on her face the biggest Setsuna had ever seen it. "I think it'd mean more if we made it ourselves, don't you think so?" She laughed at the look on Setsuna's face. "I know, I know. You're thinking about the mess we're going to make. But it's okay. It's not like Usagi-chan's going to help us cook. And we can clean up as we go. Come on Setsuna-chan! Please!"

Setsuna chuckled and shook her head. "Fine. What shall it be then? Chocolate or white?"

"Chibi-Usa-chan!" Hotaru shouted. Well, that hadn't been what Setsuna had been expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. Hotaru ran passed Setsuna to engulf her best friend in a hug. Perhaps that explained the over-exuberance of the usually pensive girl. Hotaru was always happiest when Chibi-Usa was near. "What are you doing here? Oh, it doesn't matter. You can help us shop. We're going to cook a dinner for—"

"I know," she said. She waved at Setsuna as the two girls returned to join her. "Seiya-san told me about that because I'd asked him what the plans were for the night. I figured I could help you guys. I mean, I should say I'm entitled to take part in the festivities. I helped, too."

Setsuna chuckled. "Always so modest, Small Lady."

"You and Seiya have been getting close," Hotaru mused. "Is there something going on there that we should be aware of?"

Chibi-Usa actually stopped smiling. "If by 'close' you mean that I try to have a word with him and he jumps as though he'd seen a ghost and comes up with excuses why he doesn't have time to have a word with me, then yeah… we're getting close. But nothing to dwell on, Hotaru-chan. I think he's still in love with my mother."

Hotaru laughed. "Oh wouldn't that be famous? If Seiya-san liked you! Can you imagine introducing him to your friends?" She cleared her throat and changed her voice to do her best imitation of Chibi-Usa's. "Hey guys, this is my boyfriend, Seiya-san. How did we meet? Oh, well he used to be completely in love with my mother. Yeah. Like… obsessed!"

Chibi-Usa dead panned. "I am far from amused."

"Not even a little smile? Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan, it was just a jo—" Saturn gasped when a passerby slammed into her shoulder. She reached out to try to regain her balance, catching on to Chibi-Usa's outstretched hand. The force of the blow had knocked the wind out of her, but her pride was what was wounded more than anything. She stood up and straightened up her jacket before turning to see who had knocked her down.

Chibi-Usa was pissed. The person had done that deliberately. Nobody just threw their shoulder into a person on accident. After making sure that Hotaru wasn't going to fall, she started walking after the woman who had tried to unbalance her. "Hey! What where you're going you stupid—!"

Setsuna dropped the bag of groceries and lunged forward, grabbing Chibi-Usa by both shoulders and pulling her back. "Stop, Small Lady. Get behind me." The genial look that Setsuna had been wearing before was replaced by one of malice. Her garnet eyes were set, her lips clenched tightly together. She stood rigid, unmoving save for her velvet, green hair that blew in the wind. "I was wondering when we'd be seeing you again… Scorpio."

The woman had made no attempt to hide her intention. She'd been told to get their attention. She had it now. She was waiting for one of them to charge at her and almost had her wish with the little pink-haired one, but Setsuna had stopped her. No matter. Fun was still to be had. Her black eyes focused on the oldest of the three and she smirked at her. "I had no idea you missed me so much… Pluto."

"Yes… I missed you. But from this distance, I would think even you wouldn't need your tarot cards to foresee that my aim is about to improve."

Hotaru stepped up in front of Chibi-Usa. "You will sink to any low, wouldn't you? Forcing our hand in broad daylight in front of innocent people. I knew the Zodiacs were guilty of many things… but cowardice… that's a surprise."

That seemed to strike a nerve with Scorpio, and with a terrifying glare, she stepped back and transformed. The people around them, upon seeing this, all began to flee, terrified of yet another monster attack. "Disgusting people," Scorpio said. "See how they run? See how the take flight? Yet, they take the senshi for granted. Week after week, year after year, you risk your lives to protect them from evil like me… and after you've succeeded, they go on as though nothing had ever happened? Does that not strike you as odd? As stupid? How many more attacks? How many more deaths before these people realize that this is never going to end? That with or without the Sailor Senshi, they'll never live in peace?"

"Are you finished?" Chibi-Usa yelled, grabbing her broach. Together, the three of them transformed. "You think you can just come to Earth and manipulate the people here just because of some centuries old grudge? I will not allow you to cause suffering or chaos any longer. You may fight for the wrong reasons, but I fight for love and justice. I'm Sailor Chibi-Moon, and in the name of the moon, I shall punish you!"

Scorpio laughed and reached into her robe. Ripping it off, she pulled out a long whip, still wrapped. She grabbed the handle and let it uncurl itself. Chibi Moon only got a glimpse of it to know that there were rather dangerous looking spikes on it before the loud crack split the air and the whip was around her neck. She grabbed it and tried to pull herself free, but the more she moved, the more the spikes poked into her skin.

"Pluto Dead Scream!" Pluto whispered, shooting a large globe of energy at Scorpio. She was hit by the attack, but unfortunately had not released the whip like Pluto had hoped. As she flew back, Chibi-Usa came with her. Scorpio landed on her feet but had obviously felt some pain from the attack given how she was nursing her stomach. She yanked the whip in retaliation, pulling Chibi Moon closer. Holding a Tarot Card up, she smirked at Pluto before throwing it in front of Chibi Moon's face. It released a green smoke and even though the senshi tried to struggle against the whip and held her breath against the attack, she inhaled some of the smoke and was immediately knocked out.

"Check on her," Saturn whispered, readying her glaive and charging at Scorpio. The Zodiac pulled her whip back, finally releasing Chibi Moon, and cracked it at Saturn. She stopped and held up her glaive, forcing the whip to wrap around the metal rod. It was then that Saturn tugged hard, this time pulling the Zodiac away from Chibi Moon. She had gotten her close enough that with a swing of her glaive, she cut Scorpio's stomach, spilling blood onto the pavement. She screamed in anger and threw a tarot card at Saturn.

Saturn dodged only in time to avoid the full impact, but the card sliced her arm quite deep. She turned to see Scorpio grabbing more cards and swung her glaive again. Scorpio jumped back and pulled out the entire deck. Poising for an attack, she shuffled through and then lifted what seemed like a random card out of the deck. "Scorpio… Three of Swords!" The card seemed to gain a red energy before it was thrown.

"Silence Wall!" Saturn shouted. But the card broke through. Saturn only had enough time to think that perhaps she should have just dodged it instead of trying to block it before the card hit her stomach. Well, it wasn't so bad. It hadn't gone deep. But then she felt a warm liquid gush into the laceration and she reached down to pull it out. That was when she discovered that her hand would not move. In fact, nothing was moving.

Pluto had determined that Chibi Moon was going to be all right. She was still breathing and after a minute she even shook her head and muttered as though sleeping. Rising to her feet, she turned her attention back to Scorpio who had just used what seemed to be an attack on Saturn. She jumped over Chibi Moon and ran forward. Scorpio was approaching Saturn, reading her whip. There was no way she'd make it to Saturn in time.

She bent down and picked up a rock or large chunk of gravel. She didn't really care what it was. All she needed was something to throw. She let it fly at Scorpio and continued to run after her. The rock hit the mark, and Scorpio, slightly confused by what had just happened, turned right into Pluto's fist.

Saturn watched helplessly, willing her body to move. Nothing was working. All she could do was blink. Pluto punched her again, and again. She was actually doing well. Maybe they might actually beat her. Another punch, a kick. And then she finally brought her garnet rod into play, hitting Scorpio across the face with it.

That was what really set Scorpio off. When the garnet rod came at her again, she jumped back, avoiding the hit, and then grabbed it, pulling it towards her and catching Pluto by the throat. "I don't like when people hit my face," she said as though giving her advice. She tore the garnet rod out of her hands and then slammed Pluto into a shop window. The glass broke and she fell through, tumbling over and out of sight.

"Now… where was I?" She straightened herself up and wiped off a bit of blood from her lip. "Ah yes. I was about to kill you, wasn't I?"

Whatever the attack did to Saturn, the effects were beginning to wear off. She felt her fingers twitch. But a little finger wiggle wasn't going to be good enough to stop Scorpio. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. What a cowardly way to kill somebody.

As Scorpio neared, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She had just taken on two of the strongest Senshi and had emerged victorious. Leo would be pleased by this. She would be even happier when Scorpio presented the heads of Pluto and Saturn to the Zodiac clan. That thought thrilled her to her very core, and she pulled out another Tarot Card, the Hanged Man, and prepared to take Saturn's life.

And just as she lifted it, a sliver of light flew down in front of her. She stopped and looked down at it. It was a dagger. Somebody had thrown a dagger at her… and had missed. Or maybe their intention was not to hit her, but to stop her. She looked up in the direction the dagger had come from but nobody was there. She turned, looking all around for anybody who might have thrown it. Nobody. She bent down to pull the dagger from the ground. As she stood up, she felt something sharp on her back, and it suddenly became clear. Dropping the dagger, she said, "Reinforcements."

"I should say so," Taiki confirmed, pushing his dagger against her back and pulling her closer. "Are you going to run again, or can I look forward to a fight? Why should you have all the fun?"

"Because," she answered, turning her head to look at her new opponent. He was much taller than she would have liked, but it was no matter. "I'm better than you." Lifting her leg high, she managed to hit his face causing him to stumble back. But, by the time she had both feet on the ground and was about to put some distance between them, he had his hand on her shoulder and wrenched her towards him. His hands caught her wrist before she could reach in for another Tarot card. "Let me go!" she shouted, kicking his knee and trying to tug free.

Saturn could move her left arm now and could turn her head. Turning her head to the left, she caught sight of Yaten walking forward, as casual as could be, as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Bending over slowly, he picked up the dagger, polished it on his uniform, looked at his reflection for a moment, and then walked up behind Scorpio. "You annoy me," he said, hitting the back of her head with the handle and knocking her out. Taiki let go of her and Yaten stepped back to let her fall on the ground hard.

"You make it look so easy," Saturn grumbled. "Oh! I can talk!"

"I'm happy for you," Yaten said. "Now be a dear and don't talk for a moment. I don't think she came alone." He turned at the sound of broken glass and was actually surprised to see Pluto getting to her feet.

She climbed back over the window, staggering slightly. Taiki grabbed her by the shoulder to steady her. "Are you okay?" he asked. She only nodded her answer. "Good. Go check on Chibi Moon. Yaten-san and I will take care of this." Pluto nodded again and then ran over to the senshi who seemed to be coming to her senses on her own.

Saturn was pretty much able to move now. Some limbs felt like they were reacting a little slow, but she was able to move them all. Bending down, she grabbed her glaive and stood next to Yaten, looking around warily. "What are we going to do with her?" she asked, nudging Scorpio's body with her toe. "I'd imagine she has a lot of information that could be useful."

"Yes… but do you really think, even with coercion, she's the type to give us what we want?" Taiki asked, looking down at her. His knee was still smarting from the kick and he had to fight back the urge to kick the woman. "Maybe with one of a lesser rank, but not her. Still, that's a good question. What _are_ we going to do with her?"

Yaten shrugged. "We could tie her in a burlap sack, weight it down with rocks, and through her into the ocean." He heard Saturn choke on a laugh and smiled smugly. Taiki, however, didn't find it funny. "I don't know. But, if we wait a moment longer, Sailor Moon is going to arrive and knowing her, she's going to suggest we let her go for some silly reason. We have to act quickly. Are we going to leave her alive or not? Though, if I can put my two cents in, leaving her alive would be a very big mistake."

"Well, obviously, but there is much more to consider than just—"

"Behind you!" Saturn shouted.

Taiki spun around to see Sailor Taurus charging at the three of them, her halberd ready to strike. Taiki was not looking forward to fighting this one. "Make sure that Scorpio is defended. She is not getting away this time," he said to Yaten. He unsheathed his sword and readied for the impact… but it never came.

Jumping out of nowhere, Seiya tackled Taurus, grabbing her around the waist and wrestling her to the ground. Taurus dropped her halberd and slammed a hard elbow into Seiya's face, smiling when she heard the all too familiar crack that told her she'd broken his nose. His eyes watered but he did not loosen his hold on her. She elbowed him again, pleased that this time, he let her go.

She scrambled to her feet and punched him. "Seiya!" Taiki shouted, running forward to help him. But Seiya proved in less than three seconds that he was more than capable of handling her. One hit was all it took. One well aimed punch to her temple and Taurus was out. "Well then," Taiki said, finally approaching him and clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I can see I wasn't needed here."

Seiya laughed. "I appreciate the attempt. Actually, I was lucky. If I hadn't managed to hit her just right, I _would_ have needed your help. The woman is stronger than she looks," he said, pointing to his nose. "Now… if you'll excuse me," he said, grabbing it and popping it back into place with a groan, "Oh God, that never gets any less painful."

"Seiya," Taiki whispered, looking down the road. Seiya followed his gaze to a woman in a red cloak just standing as though waiting for something. "I believe Aries has decided to have a go."

"Stupid really," Yaten said, walking up to them. "Why didn't they just fight us all at once? Would have saved them a lot of trouble."

"They aren't used to fighting together," Saturn explained.

"So… it's something they should learn if they hope to win, don't you think?"

"Let's not give them ideas," Taiki said. "What is she doing?"

"Maybe the new strategy is to wait until we grow too old to be able to fight, and then they'll try to fight us. That seems to be what's going on here."

"Be serious, Yaten-san," Saturn scolded.

They watched as she pulled something from her cloak. She threw it down on the ground right in front of her. "She missed," Yaten said drolly. But as soon as he'd uttered the words, a thick fog began to cover the ground, concealing her completely. The fog stretched towards them. Saturn reached out to grab Yaten's arm before visibility was totally taken from them. She felt Yaten step closer to her and pull her against him as though trying to protect her from anything that might happen now.

"What's going on?" she shouted.

"Shh… don't talk," he said. It seemed their only defense right now was not giving away their position. He led her blindly, holding his hand out to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything. After a minute or so, the fog cleared and they all looked around. Aries was gone. And it appeared as though she'd taken Scorpio and Taurus with her. "Great," Yaten said, releasing Saturn and walking back towards the group. "They got away… again."

"Well, to be fair, we weren't exactly trying our best to keep them here," Taiki said. "We should have tied them to the bench."

"Yeah… with that awful woman's own whip," Chibi-Usa said, walking up behind them. "See how she likes hundreds of little spikes digging into her skin."

Saturn pushed through Seiya and Taiki and hugged her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think I'll be fine," she said, looking up at Seiya. "But… the good news is… we know that they can be defeated now. They don't work together. That will be their downfall. We should probably tell Usagi-chan and Mamo-chan all of this. I think we could all use a little good news right now."

Pluto nodded and looked towards the side walk where her bag of groceries had been dropped. The food was everywhere. Saturn seemed to have just thought about that too, because she gave Pluto a look of despair. "Famous! We beat them but they still manage to ruin the evening."

Yaten looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"We were going to cook dinner for you, remember?"

It seemed that Yaten hadn't remembered. He looked at Seiya who chuckled and Taiki who just seemed baffled that he could forget something he'd been reminded about just that morning. "Well shit!" he shouted. "Damn those Zodiacs! Next time I see them, I'm going to choke the crap out of them!"

"Yaten," Saturn began, shaking her head. "Be a dear and don't talk for a moment."


End file.
